site.bta4,500-Plus Energy Efficiency Certificates Issued to Buildings after Renovation

Pernik, Southwestern Bulgaria, August 29 (BTA) - More than 4,500 energy efficiency certificates have been issued to buildings following energy renovation, Sustainable Energy Development Agency Executive Director Ivailo Aleksiev said in a BTA interview. He specified that some buildings hold multiple certificates because they are certified after each renovation.

Low energy-efficiency classes: G, E, and F, predominate among residential buildings in Bulgaria. The new buildings, which account for 1-2 per cent of the total annually, are certified as Class B.

Energy renovation results in at least 40 per cent energy saving, and the effect can be even better depending on the energy source, the expert said.

The National Programme for Energy Renovation should develop as a stable and long-term investment, Aleksiev argued. He is positive that management of existing buildings poses the principal challenge.

The energy intensity of the Bulgarian economy is 70-80 per cent above the average European level which, according to Aleksiev, could be viewed as an advantage because it opens an ample opportunity for improvement. "If you have to save 1 kWh of energy in Germany, you will have to invest manifold more than if you try to do the same thing in Bulgaria," the expert explained. In his opinion, enterprises, too, need energy management and they should have energy managers.