site.bta3 Billion Leva Targeted at Improving Energy Efficiency of Buildings

3 Billion Leva Targeted at Improving Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Sofia, December 12 (BTA) - Regional Development and Public Works Minister Liliyana Pavlova told a discussion on Saturday that nearly 3 billion leva in funding is targeted at improving the energy efficiency of buildings across Bulgaria. This includes 800 million leva available under the operational programme run by the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry, one billion leva under the national Energy Efficiency Programme (the latter amount will be doubled if it is absorbed completely) and allocations from other programmes, such as Competitiveness (which is for commercial buildings).

The discussion at the Ramada Sofia Hotel in the capital was entitled "Municipalities during the 2014-2020 Programming Period."

Pavlova said the mayor of the southwestern town of Blagoevgrad, Atanas Kambitov, is the best performing local government leader in the building retrofitting campaign and urged other mayors to catch up with him. Three buildings in Blagoevgrad have already been retrofitted and contracts have been signed for another 120 structures, the minister said.

Beginning on January 1, energy efficiency project applications may be submitted in all population centres for any multi-household residential buildings. An earlier restriction which limited the scope of the retrofitting effort to concrete prefab buildings comprising more than 36 flats each has been waived. Axis 1 of the operational programme provides 455 million leva for 39 larger cities, where the funding can be used for both residential and public buildings, including office buildings, kindergartens and schools. Axis 2 has 207 million leva for 28 smaller towns.