The Law of the Republic of Belarus «On energy saving», as well as a set of other normative legal acts, constitutes the legal basis of the activities in the field of energy saving.

The President of the Republic of Belarus signed the Directive No. 3 «Economy and frugality are the main factors of the economic security of the state» (PDF-file) on June 14, 2007.

The Directive increases significantly the requirements to strengthening the work on economy of material and fuel and energy resources, involvement of local kinds of fuels into fuel and energy balance, identifies the new approaches and directions, and determines responsibility of the managers and specialists of all levels for rational and efficient use of the resources.

The Concept of energy security of the Republic of Belarus has been approved by the Presidential ordinance No. 433 of September 17, 2007; this Concept specifies aims and objectives for ensuring energy security, main directions for increase in security, including increase due to modernization and development of power capacities, development of energy infrastructure and diversification of energy resources delivery, enhancement of efficiency of fuel and energy resources, increase in local kinds of fuels, nonconventional power and renewable energy sources.

The main program documents defining the priority directions of realization of the governmental policy within energy saving considering the existing potential of energy resources economy and conceptual problems are the republican five-year programs for energy saving, which are approved by the government of the Republic of Belarus in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation.

The Republican program for energy saving for 2011–2015 is being carried out at the moment; it was approved by enactment No. 1882 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of December 24, 2010.

Strategic aim of the activities within energy saving for the period up to 2015 is the reduction of GDP energy intensity in the Republic of Belarus by 50 % compared with the level in 2005 and increase in the share of local fuel and energy resources in the balance of boiler and furnace fuels up to 28 % taking into account fulfillment of environmental requirements, social standards and provision of energy security indicators.

Therefore, the program aim and objectives are to develop and organize the actions for the reduction of GDP energy intensity, to substitute the imported fuel and energy resources for local fuel and energy resources and to establish the conditions required for increasing the energy security in the Republic of Belarus.

The main directions of the development of energy saving in 2011 – 2015 will be as follows:

• increase of the operational efficiency of conventional fossil fuel generating sources;
• development of nonconventional power and renewable energy sources;
• reduction of losses during energy transportation;
• utilization of heat secondary energy resources;
• increase of energy efficiency in industry, construction, agriculture and budgetary sphere;
• energy cost reduction in housing and communal services;
• development of economic interest of manufacturers and consumers of energy resources in increase of efficiency of their use;
• intensification of work on creation of new energy-efficient and import-substituting technology, equipment and materials;
• activities concerning promotion of energy saving and energy resources conservation;
• and other activities

In order to implement republican five-year programs for energy saving, regional and branch programs for energy saving, as well as programs of enterprises, are generated annually; the implementation of these programs results in the introduction of specific energy-efficient technology and equipment in the national economy of the Republic of Belarus providing energy-saving effect.

The methodology recommendations on the development, co-ordination and execution of branch and regional programs for energy saving

The Instruction on calculation of energy-saving objectives (PDF-file) (hereinafter referred to as Instruction) was developed in accordance with the Article 6 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus «On energy saving» (Vedamastsi Natsyyanalnaga Skhodu (Journal of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus), 1998, No.31-32, p. 470); it is designed for assessment of achievement of energy-saving objectives by organizations, national government bodies, other state organizations administered by the Government, regions and by Minsk.