site.btaBulgaria's Energy Intensity Should Fall by 41% in 2020 from 2005

Sofia, December 20 (BTA) - Bulgaria's primary energy consumption should be reduced from 18,460,000 tonnes of oil equivalent (what it would be without energy efficiency measures) to 16,870,000 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) by 2020. Meeting the national targets by 2020 will reduce primary energy intensity by 41 per cent compared to 2005, according to the updated National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency 2014-2020.

The document was adopted by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

As required by Directive 2012/27/EU, a national plan was drawn up and submitted to the European Commission in 2014 on condition that it would be updated in three years.

Until 2020, Bulgaria's energy saving target is 716,000 toe a year. The 2016 report shows that between 2014 and 2016 this country's energy saving amounted to 303,800 toe.

The energy efficiency measures are financed from various sources, including most operational programmes; Programme BG04 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area; the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources Fund; and the National Programme for Energy Efficiency for Multi-family Residential Buildings.

As part of the updated National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, the government approved a plan for improving the energy features of heated and/or cooled state-owned buildings, as well as a programme promoting investments in the building stock which will help the implementation of such measures.

Renovating 5 per cent of the useful floor area of state-owned buildings every year as required by the Energy Efficiency Act would save 10,260 toe in energy and over 12,000 t of carbon dioxide. In addition, renovating 1 per cent of the useful floor area of residential buildings every year would save 284,000 toe in energy and 384,000 t of carbon dioxide.

Traders in electricity and heat, natural gas, liquid and solid fuels are to save 51,690 toe in energy a year.