Peculiarities of Housing and Communal Services and the Difficulties of Implementing Energy-Saving Technologies: The Case of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The article considers the problems arising in the implementation of energy-saving technologies in the housing and communal services sector of Kazakhstan, including the example of specific situations. Despite the global trend of energy saving and increasing the energy efficiency of production and service provision, there is almost no introduction of energy-saving technologies by utility companies in Kazakhstan. After reviewing the experience of the previous 10 years and the unsuccessful attempts of Western manufacturers to enter this market, we identified the reasons for this situation, namely, the need to identify the exact institutional need for implementation with reference to the Kazakhstan regulatory framework, the need to consider the financial effect of the projects, not according to the prices of the producing countries (which are usually Western countries, where utility bills are much higher) but the Kazakhstan energy prices and/or tariffs for the necessary resources, as well as the necessity to calculate the economic and/or social effectiveness of the project. The authors present the results of the analysis of public utilities of Kazakhstan as DMUs (decision-making units). Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was chosen as the method of analysis, which allows for a nonparametric evaluation of economic agents by several input and output parameters. The authors also propose aspects of technical policy aimed at the development of energy conservation in Kazakhstan.