Project-Ready Rural Kindergarten Pilot for Thermal Comfort and Heat-Recovery Ventilation

Puțintei Commune Municipality (Orhei District, Republic of Moldova) offers the operating Puțintei Kindergarten as a project-ready rural demonstration site for HORIZON-NEB-2026-01-REGEN-01 and REGEN-02. The two-level building was constructed in 1981, has approximately 666 m² of heated/useful floor area, and serves about 45 children with 15 staff members, according to the energy audit.

The building currently relies on natural ventilation. The audit found that some ventilation openings are not airtight or are partially obstructed. A technical project has been prepared for 26 decentralised heat-recovery ventilation units, including 26 diamond-drilled openings and local installation, without reconstruction or building extensions. The estimated theoretical energy saving is 38,178 kWh per year, with an estimated emissions reduction of 10.58 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The demonstrator can support research and validation of affordable, inclusive and user-friendly thermal comfort solutions, sustainable maintenance and repair measures, indoor-climate monitoring, co-design with staff and parents, and replication in rural public buildings. The existing technical design can be reviewed and adapted to the consortium's innovation and demonstration requirements.

The municipality can provide the pilot site, energy audit and technical documentation, local administrative support, stakeholder coordination, operational data and long-term use of the installed solutions. We are looking to join a consortium as a municipal demonstration site and project partner, working with an experienced coordinator, research institutions, architects and engineers, technology providers, circular-material specialists, LCA/LCC experts and social-science partners.