Reducing Heating Costs Significantly for Rural Community Facilities

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Korea Rural Community Corporation announced on the 28th that it has completed the remodeling of Songtan Village Hall in Jangsu-gun, Jeonbuk, as the first agricultural and rural energy self-reliance model to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in rural community shared facilities.

The "Rural Energy Self-Reliance Model Demonstration Support" project, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and implemented by Korea Rural Community Corporation, supports remodeling costs such as passive building construction and renewable energy facility installation to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in shared rural facilities like village halls and senior centers.

In February, through a nationwide public contest for local governments, two sites were selected: Songtan Village Hall in Jangsu-gun and Naegok Village Hall in Ulju-gun. The project budget was funded by 50% national funds, 30% local funds, and 20% self-contribution. Especially in the first year of implementation, the project proceeded without residents' self-contribution thanks to support from the Rural Coexistence Cooperation Fund of the Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Small and Medium Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries.

Through this project, Songtan Village Hall showed a groundbreaking improvement effect by reducing energy usage by 90%, and it is expected that carbon dioxide emissions will decrease through improved heating performance. In heating, with significantly improved performance, heating costs are expected to be reduced by about 2 million KRW, and carbon dioxide emissions are expected to decrease from about 17 tons to 2 tons accordingly.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to expand the agricultural and rural energy self-reliance model to one site per city and county to alleviate cooling and heating cost burdens and reduce carbon emissions in rural shared facilities with low energy performance. Korea Rural Community Corporation plans to continue consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to promote the private sector spread of the energy self-reliance model.

President Kim Insik stated, "Through this project, rural residents will significantly reduce maintenance costs of shared facilities, contributing not only to the welfare improvement of residents but also to creating a sustainable rural environment," and pledged to provide technical and administrative support to expand the project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.