Renovation Efforts by Izgrei Energy Community

The Izgrei Energy Community, founded in 2021, has made significant strides in its mission to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy in Bulgaria with the help of the support service for Citizen-led renovation. Despite facing numerous challenges, including a lack of public funding and legal frameworks, Izgrei has successfully completed its first partial renovation with citizens. 

The initial plan was to renovate an entire building through a fully government-funded scheme. However, due to insufficient timing for the application, Izgrei decided to cover 80% of the costs with government/EU funding, with the remaining 20% to be self-financed by homeowners. However, as each homeowner had to participate with 20% self-funding, the program was unsuitable due to financial constraints for some homeowners in the pilot building in Sofia, Bulgaria. Thus, Izgrei decided to proceed with self-financing by the homeowners and an investment plan for partial renovation to resolve issues one by one (roof, insulation and other problem areas for the building). The community has partially insulated one side of the building and plans to continue with roof repairs and other renovations over time.

Izgrei’s first pilot project near Plovdiv, Bulgaria, included the installation of solar panels and minor renovations to a single-family house. Additionally, the community has developed a comprehensive “How-To” guide to promote further citizen-led renovations in Bulgaria. In the past, it created an online article to set up energy communities in Bulgaria. Also, the energy community has been actively involved in advocacy work, including interviews with national television and newspapers.

Bulgaria faces significant energy poverty, with a quarter of the population unable to adequately heat their homes. Energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations are crucial to addressing this issue and achieving a decarbonized and energy-efficient building stock. Despite the availability of subsidies, grants, and support services, Bulgaria’s renovation rate remains low, with only 1.3% of medium and 0.1% of deep renovations being completed.

Izgrei continues to work towards overcoming these challenges, aiming to raise awareness and build public trust in energy community initiatives. Their efforts are a testament to the potential of community-driven projects in creating sustainable and energy-efficient futures.