The EC has announced a wave of renovation of buildings in Europe as part of measures for Green Reconstruction

Bulgaria has the potential to triple the pace of renovation of the existing buildings in order to increase its energy efficiency and reduce harmful gases emitted from domestic heating and the use of fossil fuels for energy production. The European Commission's Renovation Wave initiative, presented today, has been identified as a priority in the European Green Deal and has the potential to do so. Economic recovery after the pandemic is encouraged by achieving a series of positive effects - economic, social, health, climate. Given that Bulgaria is the EU leader in energy poverty, the opportunity in front of us is huge.

As organizations that have been working for many years in the field of energy transition, energy efficiency and overcoming energy poverty and as part of the informal coalition "Worthy Home", Ecological Association "For the Earth", "EnEffect" and "Habitat" Bulgaria will monitor and advocate for optimizing the future implementation of the "Wave for Renewal" in our country. In this context, the three organizations share their common views and expectations, according to environmental organizations.

"With the" Wave for Renewal "we have the opportunity to do something really good for the people in Bulgaria. However, we must not allow a literal copy of the current National Program for Energy Efficiency of Multifamily Residential Buildings, because the program's ambition in terms of energy savings did not meet even the minimum requirements of our own strategic documents, and the responsibility of homeowners practically eliminated. The new program should focus on high and measurable goals for energy savings, enhanced control over the quality of construction, and an integrated approach to ensuring a healthy living environment in homes, "said Dragomir Tsanev, CEO of EnEffect.

The initiative seeks a comprehensive approach that combines different goals so that there are no contradictions between the individual measures. There are six key characteristics that the programs initiated by Bulgaria have to meet in the long run on its territory:

- People have to live, work and study in buildings with thermal comfort in all seasons, to breathe air with good quality, to have enough daylight and low noise levels.

- Our buildings must be part of the energy infrastructure - they should be in harmonious interaction with the electricity and heat supply networks.

- High levels of energy efficiency - energy not to be wasted. Both old and new buildings must have very low energy consumption.

- There should be no need to use fossil fuels - low energy consumption will allow full coverage of the energy needs of buildings with renewable energy sources.

- Buildings must be part of the circular economy - in the materials used and the way of living - that is, the possibility of reusing materials and raw materials in the construction and renovation of buildings must be the norm. They must also be able to adapt easily to the changing needs of their inhabitants and allow for redevelopment over time.

- Sustainable to climate risks - buildings must be built and renovated sustainably with possible impact and risks of climate change in mind.

"Energy-efficient renovation of buildings is definitely the most sustainable way to overcome the energy poverty and air pollution problems we face so often in our cities. However, in order to succeed, we definitely need strong support at European and national level. Therefore, we hope that the Wave for Renewal initiative will be truly ambitious and inclusive, with the potential not only to attract additional private investment, but also to meet the needs of vulnerable households," said Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo, winner of the European Green Leave award for 2021 and Chairman of the Municipal Network for Energy Efficiency "EcoEnergy".