SLSEA and the PEEB Cool Programme are bringing policymakers and building practitioners together to improve energy efficiency, climate resilience and energy security across the public sector.
The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), in collaboration with the PEEB Cool Programme implemented through GIZ Sri Lanka, has launched a national training programme on Energy Management Systems (EnMS) for public buildings. The initiative is intended to strengthen the capacity of government institutions to reduce energy use and operating costs while improving resilience to climate extremes and energy supply constraints.
The programme began with a one-day policy leadership workshop attended by officials from provincial councils, government ministries and public-sector organisations involved in policy development and implementation. Participants included representatives of the ministries responsible for defence, housing and health. A three-day practitioner training is being held from 15 to 17 July at Amari Colombo for officials responsible for operating and managing public buildings.
The inaugural session was attended by Prof. T. M. Wijendra J. Bandara, Chairman of SLSEA, together with senior officials and representatives of the participating institutions.
Designed as a two-tier capacity-building programme, the initiative addresses both the policy and operational requirements of energy management. The policy component focuses on the strategic role of EnMS in advancing energy security, affordability, greenhouse-gas emissions reduction and the modernisation of Sri Lanka's public-building stock. Participants examine international good practice, the principles of ISO 50001 and ISO 50005, and the policy and regulatory measures needed to support systematic energy management across government institutions.
The practitioner component translates these principles into day-to-day building operations. Through an application-oriented programme, officials are learning to apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, establish energy baselines and performance indicators, identify significant energy uses, maintain documentation and compliance processes, and implement the phased approach set out in ISO 50005. The training also emphasises continuous monitoring, internal accountability and management review so that energy-performance improvements can be sustained over time.
By bringing policy leaders and building managers into a common programme, SLSEA and PEEB Cool aim to close the gap between national policy commitments and implementation. The approach recognises that efficient buildings depend not only on new technologies or equipment upgrades, but also on clear institutional responsibilities, reliable data, operating procedures and informed decision-making.
The training forms part of broader PEEB Cool support to Sri Lanka through the programme's Enabling Facility, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This support includes work on building energy codes, energy benchmarking, digitalisation, policy and institutional frameworks, and sustained technical capacity development for energy-efficient and climate-resilient buildings.
Globally, buildings account for almost 40 per cent of energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions, while demand for space cooling is expected to double by 2040. PEEB Cool responds to this challenge by helping countries improve both the energy efficiency of buildings and their resilience to extreme climate events, economic crises and energy scarcity. The programme combines financing and policy support to bring ambitious projects to scale and deliver long-term transformation across the building sector.
PEEB Cool is a programme of the Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB). PEEB combines an Investment Facility, implemented by AFD Group, with an Enabling Facility, implemented by GIZ, linking project finance and technical assistance with policy reform, capacity-building and knowledge exchange. The Partnership is part of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC). The project operates in 11 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America: Albania, Argentina, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
PEEB is currently funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), the French Ministry of Ecological Transition (MTE), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the European Union (EU), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the International Climate Initiative (IKI), and the Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial (FFEM).
For Sri Lanka, the programme is expected to strengthen the institutional systems needed to measure, manage and continuously improve energy performance in public buildings. Over time, wider adoption of EnMS can help reduce public expenditure on energy, lower greenhouse-gas emissions, improve thermal comfort and make essential public services more resilient to climate and energy shocks.

Officials and participants at the national Energy Management Systems training programme in Colombo.

SLSEA Chairman, Prof. Wijendra Bandara addressing policymakers at the Energy Management Systems training program.


Officials engaging in stakeholder discussions on advancing energy-efficient and climate-resilient buildings in Sri Lanka.

Government practitioners work through an application-based EnMS exercise during the training at Amari Colombo.

Participants engaging in group work and discussions with resource persons.