About the Pilot
Izgrei is an energy community located in Plovdiv, in south-central Bulgaria. The energy community was founded in 2021 and has just completed its first pilot project. The project consisted of the installation of solar panels and a small renovation of a single-family house. In addition, Izgrei has supported the development of a how-to guide for setting up an energy community in Bulgaria and carried out advocacy work for community energy in Bulgaria, including interviews with national television and newspapers.
Izgrei faces several challenges in developing its activities. The main challenges for the energy community are the lack of a legal framework for energy communities, insufficient public funding for renovation, lack of awareness and knowledge of renovation opportunities among the public, and lack of public trust in institutions.
Factsheet
Bulgaria has one of the highest levels of energy poverty, with a fourth of the population unable to adequately warm their home. Energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations are crucial to reduce energy poverty and achieve a decarbonised and energy-efficient building stock in Bulgaria. Bulgaria offers an enabling framework of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations consisting of subsidies and grants, support services as well as tariffing and tax incentives. Bulgaria has specific renovation targets in place and substantial funding and support services, such as one-stop-shops, are available. However, Bulgaria’s renovation rate remains low, with an estimated 1.3% of medium and 0.1% of deep renovations.
Our Support
To support the energy community, the Citizen-led renovation initiative will assist Izgrei with business model development, as well as communication and community engagement to facilitate the renovation of apartment buildings in Bulgaria.
Objectives under the CLR initiative
The pilot project is the planned renovation of a multi-family house in the city of Sofia. The final expected outcomes of the support service are a how-to guide for citizen-led renovations in Bulgaria and the (partial) renovation of a multi-family house in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Activities under the CLR initiative
- Expert workshop on CLR, 13.11.2023
- Homeowners’ workshop on CLR, 13.11.2023
- Discussion on pilot communication strategy, 12.2023
- Izgrei attended regular homeowner meetings, including:
- Homeowner meeting on renovation scenarios, 01.2024
- Homeowner meeting with the One-Stop-Shop BACC, discussion of renovation opportunities and costs, 03.2024
- Homeowner meeting to select one renovation scenario; homeowners agreed to the renovation of the building roof (planned for August 2024); further insulation of the building façade might follow in autumn; 04.2024
- Exchange with other citizen-led renovation project, 07.06.2024
- Activities
- Renovation and solar installations for one single-family house
- Co-development of a How-to guide for setting up an energy community in Bulgaria
- Advocacy work for community energy in Bulgaria, including interviews given to national television and newspapers
- Future aims/ Perspectives
Implementing new pilot project outside of Plovdiv