Effective energy management depends on the day-to-day work of community specialists. How can such a system be implemented in practice? Which tools support data collection and analysis? And how can the needs of public institutions be translated into projects that attract investment?

These practical questions were at the centre of the online webinar “Building an Energy Management System and Project Management,” held on 2 October 2026. During the event, specialists from Zhytomyr shared their experience and practical solutions with colleagues from the Kremenchuk community.

The meeting brought together energy managers, project managers and officials of the Executive Committee of Kremenchuk City Council. The programme covered two closely related areas: energy consumption management and project preparation to attract external funding.

The first part of the webinar focused on working with energy consumption data from public institutions.

Oleksandr Honcharuk, Energy Manager of the Zhytomyr community, outlined approaches to collecting and analysing heat consumption data. He explained what information should be regularly obtained from public institutions and metering devices, how it should be processed and how it can be used for further analysis.

In energy management, it is important not only to compare heat consumption across different periods but also to take outdoor air temperatures into account. This systematic approach enabled the community to move beyond basic statistical monitoring towards informed energy management, including energy cost planning and the introduction of an incentive system.

The second part of the webinar focused on project management and how communities can systematically develop ideas into implementation-ready projects capable of attracting funding.

Borys Pakholiuk, Director of the Municipal Institution "City Development Agency" of Zhytomyr City Council, shared his practical experience in preparing grant applications, identifying funding sources and implementing infrastructure initiatives.

Participants discussed key considerations when preparing project applications, including how to clearly define a community's needs, develop a logical project framework, identify suitable funding opportunities and prepare projects for implementation.

This approach is particularly relevant to energy-related initiatives, as monitoring results and energy audits provide the evidence needed to justify investments in thermal modernisation, upgrades to building systems and the development of renewable energy sources.

In the final part of the webinar, participants examined the full project cycle through a concrete example of a completed project: the installation of a heat pump for domestic hot water in a kindergarten.

Using this case, Zhytomyr specialists illustrated the key stages of project implementation, from identifying and justifying the initial idea to budget planning, establishing a working group, carrying out procurement and communicating the results to the public.

The webinar was organised within the framework of the EU4ClimateResilience project as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Ukrainian communities' capacities in energy management, climate resilience and project preparation.

The exchange highlighted the value of peer-to-peer learning, enabling communities to share practical approaches and adapt successful experiences to their local needs, from monitoring energy consumption to developing investment-ready projects.