“Odyssee-MURE – Monitoring the Energy Efficiency Pillar for Climate Neutrality”

“Odyssee-MURE – Monitoring the Energy Efficiency Pillar for Climate Neutrality”

The project is funded by the LIFE Programme (Topic LIFE-2021-CET-POLICY: Towards an effective implementation of key legislation in the field of sustainable energy). ODYSSEE MURE objectives are:

• Provide well updated information on energy efficiency indicators through the ODYSSEE database and its indicator tools
• Redesign and update the MURE database on policy measures and its policy tools
• Include the influence of societal trends which may enhance or reduce energy consumption (such as rebound effects, shared economy, digital economy)
• Provide innovative training and didactical documents to raise the capacity of national, regional and local administrations in the field of energy efficiency monitoring and impact evaluation
• Provide support to MS in developing indicators of the EE1FP
• Extend the evaluation of the impact of energy efficiency to all their multiple benefits
• Support governments with information on specific energy efficiency policies to combat energy poverty

The current project has new general topic: “Supporting public authorities to implement the Energy Union/Supporting the delivery of EED” and new topical issues: Energy efficiency first fuel, fuel poverty,

sufficiency, more updated indicators, continuation of Multiple Benefits.

A network of 34 partners from 28 countries participate to the ODYSSEE MURE project usually national energy agencies or their representatives within the European network of energy efficiency agencies (EnR).

SEDA is the project partner from Bulgaria.

Web: https://www.odyssee-mure.eu/

Odyssee Database: https://www.indicators.odyssee-mure.eu/

MURE Database: https://www.measures-odyssee-mure.eu/

BUILD UP Skills Bulgaria 2030 - Roadmap for training and qualification on the implementation of intelligent energy efficient solutions in buildings in Bulgaria until 2030

BUILD UP Skills Bulgaria 2030 - Roadmap for training and qualification on the implementation of intelligent energy efficient solutions in buildings in Bulgaria until 2030

Within the framework of the "BUILD UP Skills" initiative of the EU LIFE program, a consortium consisting of Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect (coordinator), Sustainable Energy Development Agency (SEDA), National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET), Bulgarian Construction Chamber (BCC) and the Bulgarian Association for Construction Insulation and Waterproofing (BACIW) is implementing the project "Roadmap for training and qualification on the implementation of intelligent energy-efficient solutions in buildings in Bulgaria until 2030." (BUILD UP Skills Bulgaria 2030). The project is a continuation of the previous initiative of the same name (2011-2013), which led to a number of changes in the state educational standards in the construction sector, offering an integration of the efforts of those involved in the construction sector and the national education system. Its leading objective is to support the improvement of the knowledge and skills of construction professionals and workers to build zero-carbon buildings in line with the expected amendments to the directives on energy efficiency (COM/2021/558 final), the energy performance of buildings (COM(2021) 802 final), and renewable energy sources (COM/2021/557 final) under the Fit-for-55 legislative package.

Within the framework of the project, the National Platform for Dialogue will be restored to form the basis of a comprehensive process for consultation and interaction of all participants in the field of construction and related professional training (professional associations and chambers, associations of manufacturers in the industry, centers for vocational training, public authorities, etc.). A detailed investigation of the current situation will be conducted, including:

1) Analysis and evaluation of the national continuing education system in the construction sector and the extent to which it meets the needs for additional skills for the implementation of EE and RES measures in buildings;

2) Analysis and assessment of national policies to achieve the goals of the National Energy and Climate Plan (including the expected contribution of the construction sector) and the national long-term building renovation strategy;

3) identification of barriers, as well as the market demand for training, qualified teachers and measurable data for the needs of a qualified workforce by 2030.

On the basis of this research, a National Roadmap for training and qualification on the implementation of intelligent energy efficient solutions in buildings in Bulgaria until 2030 will be prepared, which will then be proposed for endorsement by the responsible institutions and interested parties, with the corresponding commitments for the implementation of the specific set of measures and tasks. The ultimate goal of the project is to establish the Roadmap as a valuable tool for achieving national goals in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and climate change, as well as the ambitious EU goals reflected in the European Climate Law and the corresponding institutional, regulatory and a financial framework, with a focus on the Renovation Wave initiative.

The project starts on October 1, 2022 and has a duration of 18 months. For additional information -Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect (project coordinator), tel: +359 2 963 17 14.

BUILD UP Skills – Bulgaria – Analysis of the National Status Quo

Concerted Action EED 3 - Support to Member States and participating countries for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive

Concerted Action EED 3 - Support to Member States and participating countries for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive

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DEESME project “Guiding SMEs and national authorities through the energy transition, taking profit of multiple benefits and energy management approaches”

DEESME project “Guiding SMEs and national authorities through the energy transition, taking profit of multiple benefits and energy management approaches”

The DEESME project "Guiding SMEs and national authorities through the energy transition, taking profit of multiple benefits and energy management approaches " is funded by Horizon 2020, in order to help small and medium-sized enterprises to engage in the energy transition by taking profit of multiple benefits from energy management and energy audit approaches and will provide national authorities with guidelines and recommendations to strengthen their national schemes.
For the implementation of the three-year project, launched in September 2020, is built a strong consortium of academics, research organizations, consultancies and government offices from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, namely: IEECP (NL, coordinator) FIRE ( IT), SOGESCA (IT), Fraunhofer ISI (DE), CLEOPA (DE), SEDA (BG), ECQ (BG), KAPE (PL), EEIP (BE).
In the European Union, several pieces of legislation aimed at guiding states and companies, regardless of their size, on ways to improve their energy efficiency: one of them is the Energy Efficiency Directive, establishing a common framework of measures and requirements with the goal to remove market barriers and promote a more efficient use of energy in supply and demand. Article 8 of the Directive 2012/27/EU offers ways to achieve this, requiring Member States to promote and facilitate the implementation of energy audits and energy management systems. Member States have all chosen different approaches to transpose the requirements into national laws and to support companies (trainings, websites, helplines and funding support schemes).
Conducting energy audits and implementing energy management systems can be a source of multiple benefits for companies if they take advantage of the wide potential deriving from their recommendations: reduced operating costs, increased productivity, improved working environment and much more. The audits are compulsory for large companies and recommended for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Improving energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to reduce energy-related emissions, improve economic competitiveness and increase energy security.
Unlike large companies, SMEs have less technical, human and financial resources to improve their energy efficiency. Barriers have been deeply examined, including lack of awareness, low capital, difficulties to access funding, doubts about the actual potential for savings and lack of technical and human resources. To provide SMEs with technical resources such as methodologies, best practices, technology inventories and subsidies, national schemes exist. Some of the schemes introduce mandatory actions (energy analysis) to receive such subsidies. Nevertheless, national policy schemes have failed to convince SMEs that energy auditing is more than "bureaucratic performance" to contribute and encourage large companies to move from analysis to investment.
To overcome this, DEESME aims to:
a) Enabling companies to manage the energy transition by taking profit of multiple benefits and energy management approaches;
b) ) Supporting the development and implementation of energy efficiency EU policies in the framework of article 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive, beyond the project, by providing national authorities with guidelines and recommendations on how to strengthen the national schemes;
c) Enhancing the adoption of the DEESME approach by National Authorities beyond the project timeline through the implementation of institutionalization activities.
DEESME will assist SMEs to develop and test the technical DEESME solutions by organizing information and training initiatives, releasing energy audits and implementing energy management systems starting from international standard and adding the multiple benefits energy efficiency approach.
For more information: https://www.deesme.eu/

BGENERGY-1.001-0001 "Feasibility study of the use of hydroenergy potential of existing water supply systems and increasing the potential of existing small hydroelectric power plants in water supply system"
Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Energy Security Program, financed under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021
Beneficiary: Sustainable Energy Development Agency (SEDA), Bulgaria
Donor project partner: Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Norway
Project duration: 12 months (15 June 2021)
Project Summary:
The project will provide basic data on major water supply schemes in Bulgaria, which are expected to have the potential to combine water supply with hydropower production, by replacing reducing valves in the main pipelines from reservoirs to hydropower turbines. A database will be created after the project is completed, including hydrology in the catchment areas for determining the inflow, the consumption of water from the reservoirs to the reservoirs for distribution of water supply, the average annual distribution of water electricity and the potential surplus of water for additional energy production. The project is based on sustainable hydropower, through modern environmental and social know-how, using the optimum available hydropower resource with the lowest negative impacts. The scope of the project activities provides for an in-depth review of current policies, legal and regulatory frameworks related to hydropower in water supply schemes; review of existing pre-investment surveys of water and sewerage companies in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works; exchange of experience and good practices with representatives of the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate; conducting trainings to enhance the qualification of hydropower experts and promote the results through an information campaign.
Main objectives:
The aim of the project is to assess the potential of hydropower as a renewable energy source by examining all aspects - political, legal, regulatory, technical and economic, as well as the qualifications and readiness of hydropower experts to ensure the implementation of the expected activities. The main objective of the project proposal is to create a database including an assessment of the catchment areas and to document the existing technical characteristics of the hydropower facilities. The study will highlight the production potential, costs and technical challenges associated with the implementation of tools for using the hydropower resource. In addition, the need to initiate changes to facilitate the enhancement of the potential of existing small hydropower plants in water supply systems will be analyzed. The project information will be used to encourage operators of water supply schemes to apply for EEA grant assistance to realize some of their energy production opportunities.

Summary report„Construction/reconstruction and connection to the grid of a hydro power plant - summary of the regulatory framework” (A1)

Results of the review of the pre-investment studies by water supply and sewerage companies, available with the MRDPW (A2)

Results of the collection of data from the Water Supply and Sewerage Companies in the country (A3) 

Project Brochure

Presentations virtual study-visit in Norway, 13.04.2021 г.:

1. Hydro Power in water supply (Norway)

2. Energy recovery in water supply (Norway)

3. HYWER New turbine technology (Norway)

4. General review of the energy sector in Bulgaria (SEDA)

5. Hydropower in Bulgaria, Existing projects (Hydroenergy Association Bulgaria)

6. General conclusions of the activity “Collecting data on potential sites for hydropower in water supply systems in Bulgaria” (SEDA)

Conference for presentation of the results of the BGENERGY-1.001-0001 project implementation, 08.06.2021

1. BGENERGY-1.001-0001 Project – main objects and results (BG)

2. Presentation of the results of the performed analyzes and the identified potential for realization of projects (BG)

3. General conclusions on collected data

4. Norwegian experiences from hydropower in water supply systems

5. Highlight a few examples in detail from the SEDA report

Action entitled ‘Concerted Action EPBD V’ — ‘CAV_EPBD’
under Grant Agreement #820497 within the framework of the Horizon 2020 – the EU Framework Programme for Research & Innovation (2014-2020).

The CA EPBD is a joint initiative between the EU Member States and the European Commission. It involves representatives of national ministries or their affiliated institutions who are in charge of preparing the technical, legal and administrative framework for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2010/31/EU) in each EU Member State, plus Norway. The objective is to enhance the sharing of information and experiences from national adoption and implementation of this important European legislation.
The Concerted Action EPBD (CA EPBD) addresses the Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings (recast) (EPBD). It aims to contribute to the reduction of energy use in European buildings, through the exchange of knowledge and best practices in the field of energy efficiency and energy savings between all 28 EU Member States plus Norway.
The EPBD is a cornerstone in EU legislation, and was developed to realise the saving potential in buildings, as they account for almost 40% of the consumption of energy in the EU. Full and efficient transposition of this directive is therefore central in achieving EU energy saving and carbon emission targets. The EPBD is considered as a significant legislative component in EU energy efficiency policy, and was adopted to contribute to the Kyoto commitment, securing energy supply and competitiveness.
The first CA EPBD was launched in 2005 and came to a close in June 2007. A second phase followed immediately after the first CA EPBD, a third phase ran from 2011 to 2015 and a fourth one from October 2015 to March 2018. The current fifth phase started on 1 May 2018 and runs until 30 April 2022 and aims to transpose and implement the EPBD amended Directive 2018/844/EU.
It is organised around meetings between national teams, regularly bringing together over 120 participants from 29 countries. It is accompanied by other measures to enhance communication, including a web platform and national reports.
The project participant from the Bulgarian side is the Sustainable Energy Development Agency (SEDA).
The CA EPBD has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
More: www.epbd-ca.eu

ENSMOV - Enhancing the Implementation and Monitoring and Verification practices of Energy Saving Policies under Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive

ENSMOV (Enhancing the Implementation and Monitoring and Verification practices of Energy Saving Policies under Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)) is a European Commission Horizon 2020 project, aiming to provide support to Member States and their stakeholders to implement energy efficiency policies. More specifically, in the next three years the Project will help Member States to monitor, revise, improve and implement their energy efficiency policies by developing resources on practical and strategic issues arising from the Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

Building on previous knowledge and results developed from two influential projects that have helped to shape Member States’ policies to address Article 7 requirements of the EED – IEE ENSPOL (www.enspol.eu) and H2020 MULTEE (https://multee.eu/), the ENSMOV consortium came together to provide additional support to Member States. With your involvement, and having your national policies and priorities in mind, our aim is to:

a) facilitate and expand sharing of knowledge and experience amongst Member States (MS) for the implementation of policies under Article 7 EED;

b) develop a suite of tailored resources and tools for the implementation of Article 7 EED to address the specific needs of Member States; and

c) assist national authorities’ in-house monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) schemes with a view to ensuring they have robust data and insight to inform the (re)design of policies towards 2030.

ENSMOV is primarily targeting to support public authorities and key stakeholders in 14 Member States represented by its consortium (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and the UK), while also including other Member States and Accession Countries and take their views and questions into account. Sustainable Energy Development Agency is the Bulgarian partner in the project.

ENSMOV will incorporate the views of national stakeholders, energy agencies, policy makers, and market actors to address the national policy implementation issues. Gathered inputs will be the starting point for the exchange of experience and throughout the project. The feedback and the identified priorities will continuously steer ENSMOV focus and make its results useful to the Member States.

The learning exchanges will be organised in three cycles, each covering a couple of topics from Monitoring and Verification aspects and/or policy implementation in energy efficiency. In total, ENSMOV will aim to cover around 10 topics, which Member States consider most important and provide customized solutions for each Member State. The depth of the analysis and intensity together with channels of exchange will be determined based on the availability of key representatives. The programme will consist of national, regional and EU workshops. Additionally, there will be webinars organised to explore the topics, but also to disseminate the results to broader audiences.

Besides developing the learning exchange, useful materials will be created in form of specific tools and guidelines for each involved Member State, best practices and tailored policy guides will be developed. An important channel for this will be an online platform, which will not only contain useful materials, rather its purpose will be to foster additional exchanges among policy makers among Member States, so that experts continue to cooperate beyond ENSMOV duration.

Please subscribe on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to our mailing list and stay informed!

For more information about Art. 7 EED: https://article7eed.eu/

SEDA Bulgaria and the ENSMOV team are looking forward to our cooperation through ENSMOV!

Stakeholder Needs Assessments for the Implementation of Article 7 EED

Concerted Action EED - Support to Member States and participating countries for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive

Concerted Action EED - Support to Member States and participating countries for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive

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ENERFUND – An ENErgy Retrofit FUNDing tool

ENERFUND – An ENErgy Retrofit FUNDing tool

Sustainable Energy Development Agency participates in the implementation of a project - ENERFUND.
ENERFUND is a European project aiming to develop and promote a tool for stakeholders to make intelligent decisions with regard to energy renovation strategies and financing deep renovation of buildings.
ENERFUND is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and poses itself the ambitious objective to enhance funding investments for deep renovation of buildings, working on three components: public awareness and trust, funding schemes and incentives and trustworthy retrofitting opportunities. A comprehensive state of the art evaluation of existing barriers and needs in these fields will enable the development of the ENERFUND tool, which will address these shortcomings and expectations. The tool will then be promoted within the scope of the project and its impacts on deep-renovations will be monitored and measured.
The project consortium, led by the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), is composed of 15 interdisciplinary organisations representing 12 EU countries, including two Universities (CUT and the Aalborg University in Denmark), two companies experienced in database creation and EPC mapping (ENERMAP from Cyprus, and Energy Action from Ireland), the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration of Romania as well as ten energy agencies, NGOs, SMEs and Institutions: Centre for Energy Performance of Buildings (Romania), Cyprus Energy Agency, SERA energy & resources E.U (Austria), Energy Centre Bratislava (Slovakia), Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (Greece), Severn Wye Energy Agency (UK), Valencia Institute of Building (Spain), Sustainable Energy Development Agency (Bulgaria), Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia) and ENERGIES 2050 (France).

These organisations are united by the common intent to ease and stimulate investments in the target markets, which are offering great opportunities for buildings’ refurbishment. ENERFUND will specifically build upon partners’ knowledge and experience regarding energy efficiency and retrofitting to set up and promote the ENERFUND tool. Available online, this tool will facilitate stakeholders’ decision regarding renovation strategies, thanks to user-friendly materials including, among others, an interactive map of deep renovation opportunities to be used in the project’s participating countries.The ENERFUND project was officially launched during the kick-off meeting organised last February in Limassol (Cyprus), within the premises of the Cyprus University of Technology and will run for 36 months. The project’s manager, Assistant Professor Alexandros Charalambides, noted that “By providing a rating for deep renovation opportunities – whether for private establishments or for public buildings –  funding institutes can provide targeted loans, retrofit companies can identify sound opportunities, municipalities can promote targeted incentives and the public's trust for retrofitting will be enhanced”.
 For more information please visit www.enerfund.eu or contact the project’s manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

 Newsletter # 2, January, 2017