15 June 2026, Chisinau – GIZ Moldova, in partnership with the National Centre for Sustainable Energy and with the support of the European Union, launched the first edition of the national competition: “She saves energy – leader of the energy in the community”, meant to promote the energy efficiency and the rational consumption of energy in the Republic of Moldova, which will take place between between the 15^th of June and 14^th of August 2026.

The competition aims to promote the energy efficiency by encouraging practical and intelligent solutions of saving energy in households and communities. The initiative has the goal to change the way how people understand the consumption of energy: from an abstract subject into a conventional one, based on the daily decisions of each household: how we heat the house, which devices we choose, how we reduce the energy losses, and how we can consume the energy in a more responsible way.

Through this competition, GIZ Moldova and CNED want to highlight the girls and women who apply simple, accessible, and efficient solutions for reducing the energy consumption, improving the comfort in households, and reducing the expenditure of energy. The participants will have the chance to present how the daily applied solutions may inspire other households or communities to adopt sustainable measures.

This competition is not only a contest, but also a practical initiative to inform and educate about the energy efficiency. Through clear examples, the participants can prove that the energy efficiency does not mean high investments or advanced technic knowledge, but useful solutions adopted to the realities of each household.

The winners will be announced and rewarded in a special ceremony, organized on the Day of Energy Efficiency. Details regarding the date, hour, and the place of the event will be announced further. The event will offer visibility to those women, who through their personal initiative and offered solutions, contribute to the promotion of the energy efficiency and the responsible use of energetic resources.

The national competition “She saves energy – leader of the energy in the community” is launched by GIZ Moldova, in partnership with CNED, with the support of the European Union, part of the project “Energy efficiency and Renewable Energy for Moldova” (E4M). The project E4M is implemented by GIZ together with the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and contributes to the promotion of the solutions for energy efficiency and renewable energy for houses, public institutions, and communities from the whole country.

Types of solutions that may be eligible:

- Reduction of the consumption of energy in the house;

- Improving the thermic comfort;

- Reduction of spending on energy;

- Use of renewable sources of energy; 

- Simple solutions for vulnerable households;

- Promoting the responsible consumption of energy in the community. 

Examples may include replacing of classic light bulbs with LEDs, thermic isolation of the house, changing the joinery, modernization of the heating system, using the energy efficient devices, installing solar panels, using the heat pumps or other practical measures for saving the energy.

Categories of the competition:

- Efficient energetic house; 

- Solutions for reducing the consumption of energy and improving the energy efficiency in the house;

- Utilization of sustainable energy sources in the household;

- Solutions based on the use of solar energy, heat pumps, of biomass or other renewable sources;

- Intelligent solutions for energetically vulnerable households;

- Simple, accessible and creative solutions, applied in the households with limited resources.

Who can participate?

The competition is for women and girls who are over 18 years old and are from the Republic of Moldova.

Are heavily encouraged to participate:

- Girls and women from the rural areas;

- Women from the energetically vulnerable households;

- Women who manage a household;

- Women from families with a single parent;

- Women and girls with disabilities;

- Young girls NEET;

- Women who returned from immigration. 

The participation is free, and prior experience in the energy field is not required.

What includes the participation in the competition:

Participation is done by completing the application form.

The participants will describe:

- The applied solution;

- The issue they have tried to solve;

- The obtained result;

- The way in which the solution reduced the consumption or the energy spending;

- How the solution may be applied by other households. 

The application may contain pictures, bills, description of the work, comparisons before/after or other relevant materials.

How will the applications be evaluated:

The applications will be evaluated by an independent commission, according to the following criteria:

- Impact on the energy savings;

- Personal involvement;

- Relevance of the solution;

- Practical and accessible character;

- Possibility of the project to be applied in other households or communities. 

Application period: 15^th of June – 14^th of August 2026

Prizes and advantages:

For each category one winner will be nominated, who will be offered the title “Leader of the energy in the community”.

The winners will benefit from a package of support for the needs of the household, aimed to reduce the energy consumption, and improving the comfort of the house.

The package includes:

- Equipment and solutions for energy efficiency;

- Efficiently energetic devices;

- Solutions for thermic comfort;

- Practical recommendations for the reduction of the energy consumption.

All the participants will get participation certificates.

Why is it worth participating?

- You contribute to the promotion of the energy efficiency in the Republic of Moldova;

- You show that simple solutions may reduce the energy consumption and the monthly expenditure;

- You inspire other households to adopt a responsible consumption of energy;

- You make visible the real examples of change on the local level;

- You contribute to the creation of a more aware community and ready to adopt sustainable solutions.

The rules of the competition may be consulted here: https://cned.gov.md/sites/default/files/document/attachments/regulament_concurs_ea_economiseste_energie_giz_cned_2026.pdf

The application form may be downloaded here:

Photo and video materials may be sent through an access link, for example Google Drive.

For more information: viorica.antonov [at] giz.de, with the subject: “Concurs_2026”.