Ulaanbaatar is a city where keeping homes warm through winter is an essential part of everyday life. Many of its apartment buildings were constructed decades ago, including prefabricated panel buildings that now require improvements to their insulation and energy performance. 

Building No. 10, where Bukhuu lives, was commissioned in September 1979. 

More than four decades later, the building has become part of a wider effort to improve the energy efficiency and living conditions of residential buildings in Ulaanbaatar. 

The Energy Performance Contracting for Residential Retrofitting in Ulaanbaatar City (RePaRe) project, financed by the Mitigation Action Facility and implemented by GIZ, is working to improve the energy performance of prefabricated apartment buildings. 

The project aims to retrofit 200 building blocks, benefiting more than 8,000 households and around 30,000 residents. 

The work is about more than renovating individual buildings. It is about finding practical ways to make existing homes warmer and more energy-efficient while extending their useful life. 

For Bukhuu, however, these broader goals are experienced in the warmth and comfort of their own homes.   

Before the renovation, the cold was a familiar winter feature in Bukhuu’s apartment.

He and his sons would come in from the freezing streets, only to keep their jackets on indoors.

For a family with five children, a comfortable home matters. It is where they spend time together, rest and go about their everyday lives.

But when a building does not retain heat effectively, keeping a comfortable indoor temperature becomes a daily struggle.

The challenge was therefore not only about energy consumption. It was about comfort and quality of life.

Building No. 10 needed more than a facelift. It required improvements that could address the building as a whole, changing not only its exterior look, but how it performed through the long winter.

The renovation of Building No. 10 introduced a combination of improvements designed to make the building more energy efficient. 

On the outside, the walls were wrapped in mineral wool insulation and finished with a new metal facade system. Bukhuu was particularly impressed by its quality and durability. 

he building’s roof was also renovated using membrane materials. Inside, the heating system was also modernised. The mixing loops and related equipment were replaced, and the system can now automatically adjust the heat supply according to outdoor temperatures. When temperatures outside rise, less heat is supplied. When temperatures fall, the system provides more.  

Together, these improvements are part of the RePaRe approach to residential retrofitting: combining improvements to the building envelope (its walls, roof and outer shell) and to the heating-related systems inside to improve overall energy performance. 

The most immediate result for Bukhuu is something he feels every day. His family is warmer. 

But the impact goes beyond the temperature inside his apartment. 

Bukhuu has noticed that his building now requires less heat from the district heating system.  

The renovation has also changed how the building looks. 

Perhaps the most important change is not necessarily visible. 

Building No. 10 was commissioned in 1979. More than four decades later, its residents are experiencing a new kind of winter. The change is not abstract. It is measured in the degrees on the living room thermometer, in the heating bill, and in the small routines of daily life that no longer have to be organised around the cold.

For Bukhuu and his five sons, the difference is particularly personal.

Theboys can play freely without the constant discomfort of wearing outdoor clothes inside. They spread out across the flat, sit on the floor, do their homework without gloves. And Bukhuu and his wife can finally stop bracing against the season.

And they can look at their renovated building knowing that it has been improved not only for today, but with its future in mind.

Behind the insulation, heating equipment and renovated façade are people who simply want their homes to be comfortable, safe and fit for the future.

The RePaRe project is working to bring these kinds of improvements to more prefabricated apartment buildings across Ulaanbaatar, contributing to a more energy-efficient residential sector while reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

For Bukhuu, the transformation can be summed up in a few simple words:

A warmer home. A better building. A future for the next generation.