Financing: Ukrainian Energy Company DTEK
Role of All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization "Municipal Development Institute": sole implementer
Project implementation period: September 2013 – December 2015

MDI implemented the Project "Energy Efficient Night Kyiv" during 2013-2015 with financing from DTEK under DTEK's Social Partnership Program and with support from Kyiv City State Administration and District Administration of Desnyanskyi District of Kyiv.

The Project was designed to modernize the existing exterior lighting system in the pilot residential neighborhood of Kyiv - Troyeschyna (Desnyanskyi District) by installing and putting modern energy efficient street lamps and equipment into operation. One of the Project's tasks was to promote energy efficiency as a means to improve urban infrastructure. The Information Campaign was carried out for developing energy efficient thinking of population and authorities in charge of taking decisions on municipal infrastructure development.

Much attention in the Project was paid to the social component. International Commission on Illumination (CIE) states that good lighting of streets and highways reduces the rate of road accidents down by 1/3 (including those with pedestrians - by 40%). The average number of road accidents which occur on poorly lighted sections of streets and roads in the cities is 2,6 times higher than on those which are well lighted. Good street lighting also decreases the crime rate: based on results of corresponding surveys shifts from poor lighting to good lighting increases decriminalization by 30%, and turning from "acceptable" lighting to "very good" lighting increases decriminalization by 20%.

Project performance was monitored and social impact of the Project was assessed. For this purpose, at the initial stage of the Project, sociological surveys and analytical research were conducted. Survey findings revealed local residents' discontent with illumination of the district and showed high correlation between illumination and safety. Survey respondents included almost 3000 locals, 85% of whom had lived in Troyeschyna for over six years period. Most of the actual for local people problems, which they articulated during the survey, were connected with poor street lighting. Responses to the question "How would you assess safety in your district?" demonstrated that 72.3% of respondents assessed the district as safe but articulated some concerns, while 47.5% of respondents stated that illumination was very bad or rather bad. As regards priority issues to be solved, 63.7% of respondents pointed on broken street lamps; 58.2% emphasized on poor illumination.

The Project provided for extensive involvement of local residents. For this purpose a special web-platform mystreet.com.ua was designed. All local residents could create on-line request for new street lamps or replacement of inefficient or broken ones. Most of the online requests were completed.

Under Project Phase 1, 31 modern energy efficient street lamps were installed and 17 old and broken street lamps were dismantled on the territory between Mayakovskyi Prospekt and Honoré de Balzac Street, next to school #270 and a kindergarten. Under Project Phase 2, 38 LED lamps were installed on Architect Nikolayev Street and on part of the footpath on Mayakovskyi Prospekt.

Annual saving of electric energy was almost 9 000 KW•hour. Total investment by DTEK amounted to UAH 3 mln.

Results and Achievements

• As a result of installation of new efficient street lamps, the share of respondents who earlier assessed illumination in the district as very bad or rather bad dropped from 47.5% to 16.1%. The percentage of locals who earlier stated illumination was good or overall good, grew up from 18.9% to 28.1%.
• As a result of modernization of the street lighting system, number of injures on the street and cases of damage to things, cars, and other material damage sank. Public order also improved. The improved quality of street lighting helped reduce such negative things as drinking of alcohol or taking drugs on the street.
• In the pilot district, the average number of pedestrians increased from 31.2% to 42.4% on weekdays and from 23.3% to 49.6% on weekends (increase by 112.7%).
• Under the Project, MDI developed and provided Kyiv City State Administration with design documentation for the implementation of the Project's Phase 3 in Desnyanskyi District of Kyiv. Phase 3 provides for replacement of 880 old street lamps and installation of 405 new street lamps in the area within streets Theodore Dreiser, Kashtanova, Honoré de Balzac, Mykola Zakrevskyi and Volodymyr Mayakovskyi Prospekt.
• It was expected that as a result of implementation of Phase 3, total of 73 000 KW•hours of electric energy would have been saved. Estimated cost of Phase 3 was UAH 30 mln. Financing of works under Phase 3 from the city's budget is anticipated in 2017.