Project: Bulgaria - energy efficiency in kindergartens

Overview

Project Name: Introduction of energy efficiency measures and construction of photovoltaic power plants in three kindergartens in Plovdiv municipality
Project ID: BGENERGY-2.002-0018
Project Promoter: Plovdiv municipality
Partner: Supras Limited, Norway
Period: 2022-2024
Program: Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Security (Ministry of Energy, Bulgaria)
Funding: Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA), 2014-2021. Grant value: BGN 2,346,798.00, including VAT. Cofinancing by Plovdiv municipality: BGN 452,230.90, including VAT.

This article focuses on the technical aspects of the project. The text is, when nothing else is mentioned, adapted from the project proposal. As such, this article presents the planned outcome and impacts of this project. For an evaluation of the project relevant project documents should be consulted.

Description

The project proposal envisages implementation of energy saving measures in three kindergartens: Desislava, Edelweiss, and Svetlina. The activities include construction and installation works. The project will contribute to creation of favorable conditions for educational activities in these kindergartens. Improving the energy and operational characteristics will increase the quality of the education while reducing operating costs significantly. The project will ensure cost-effective operation of the buildings, which will allow for sustainable management and maintenance.

Through implementation of energy saving measures and introduction of a monitoring system, the energy efficiency of buildings will increase, electricity consumption will be reduced, and CO2 emissions will be reduced. New technologies for electricity generation and storage systems will be introduced. The building energy efficiency class of A+ will be achieved. Improving energy efficiency in the municipality will help develop internal potentials, and create conditions and opportunities for better services in the educational, cultural and social areas. 

Purpose and Objectives

The main objective of the project is to ensure energy savings and heat storage, as well as safe operation, protection of human health and life, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and introduction of production and storage systems by RES.

Achieving class A+ for energy efficiency and consumption close to zero of buildings will directly contribute to reducing energy consumption, and indirectly to reducing greenhouse gas emission in Plovdiv municipality. Improving energy efficiency has an important additional effect related to job creation, competitiveness, energy security, and adaptation of the urban environment to climate change. The end result is the availability of accessible and attractive educational activities. The measures will have an additional effect as they will ensure cost-effective operation of buildings, which will allow sustainable management of their maintenance to achieve better educational services to the population. An overarching goal is to improve the quality of life in Plovdiv municipality, including improving energy efficiency, and creating conditions and opportunities for better services in the educational, cultural and social sphere.

Construction Activities

Energy efficiency measures for the three kindergartens Desislava, Edelweiss, and Svetlina:

1. Thermal insulation of external walls,
2. Replacement of windows,
3. Roof insulation,
4. Replacement of lighting,
5. Installation of solar system for hot water, 
6. photovoltaic power plant with the possibility of energy storage.

- Achieved modern criteria for energy efficiency of kindergarten buildings.
- Achieved regulatory requirements for energy efficiency with energy consumption class A+ for each of the buildings.
- KIndergarten Desislava: Reduction of actually required energy costs by 71.19%, equal to 227,904 kWh/year saved energy. Saved CO2 emissions: 129t (k = 1.18) / year;
- Kindergarten Edelweiss: Reduction of actually required energy costs by 81.74%, equal to 444,054 kWh / year saved energy. Saved CO2 emissions: 209.65 t (k = 1.18) / year
- Kindergarten Svetlina: Reduction of actually required energy costs by 65.47%, equal to 173,733 kWh / year saved energy. Saved CO2 emissions: 90.61t (k = 1.18) / year.
- Increased attractiveness, competitiveness, and achievement of a higher level of services of 3 pcs. educational institutions through the implemented energy efficiency measures.

Achieving the Goal with the Project 

Energy and heat savings, safe operation, protection of human health and life, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, introduction of systems for production and storage of renewable energy to be achieved. Energy efficiency class A+ to be achieved, and consumption to be close to zero. The energy efficiency to increase, which will directly contribute to the reduction of final energy consumption and indirectly to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the Plovdiv municipality. Specific goals to be achieved:
- Desislava kindergarten - Reduction of actually required energy costs: 71.19%, equal to 279,496 kWh/year saved energy. Saved CO2 emission: 129,41t (k = 1.18) / year;
- Edelweiss kindergarten - Reduction of actually required energy costs: 81.74%, equal to 499,461 kWh/year saved energy. Saved CO2 emission: 209.65 t (k = 1.18) / year:
- Svetlina kindergarten - Reduction of actually required energy costs: 65.47%, equal to 226,112 kWh/year saved energy. Saved CO2 emission: 90.61t (k = 1.18) / year.

Improving energy efficiency will achieve an additional effect related to the creation of new jobs, competitiveness, energy security, adaptation of the urban environment to the expected climate change. A total of 658 persons working in the kindergartens will benefit. An additional effect will be achieved by ensuring cost-effective operation of the buildings, which in turn will allow sustainable management and maintenance in order to provide better educational activities to the population. The quality of life in the Plovdiv municipality will improve. Overall energy efficiency and the development of internal potentials will improve. Better conditions will be created, as well as opportunities for better services in the educational, cultural, and social spheres.

1. Compliance with the objectives of the EEA FM 2014-2021.

The project will contribute to the reduction of energy consumption, will improve the state of the environment and will contribute to the creation of favorable conditions for the development of educational activities in buildings, teaching and living in buildings with those of more developed regions in the EEA. Compliance with the regulatory requirements for EE will be ensured for all users of the buildings regardless of gender, age and ethnicity, and social inequality will be reduced by providing a favorable and comfortable living environment. There will be an exchange of experience, knowledge, and good practices at management and expert level between the Beneficiary and the Norwegian partner. The project is a prerequisite for establishing lasting relations between the beneficiary and the partner from the donor countries Norway, including strengthened bilateral relations and cooperation in the development of ideas and implementation of future projects.

2. Horizontal principles of the EEA FM 2014-2021

The implementation of the project will achieve a comfortable living environment that will allow children and staff to concentrate on daily activities and benefit the development of children, through applying the following management principles:

1. Provide transparency.  The procedures and information on the project will be available to the public;
2. Guarantee the responsibility of the management.  The interests of all stakeholders will be considered in the implementation of the project in all activities;
3. Provide accountability.  Provides information on the extent to which the project achieves its objectives, how rationally the budget is, and the public impact of implementation;
4. Reaching an agreement.  Good project management will be taken into account and coordinate the various interests;
5. Efficiency and effectiveness of project activities.

The project contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of the policies and programs implemented by Plovdiv municipality for energy efficiency and environmental protection, sustainable development, long-term economic growth, social cohesion, and environmental protection.

The choice of components for project implementation will consider their competitive advantages, which include not only the price, but also their environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. Improving the energy efficiency of buildings will contribute to improving the quality of services offered to the population and the overall energy efficiency of the municipality. The project contributes to durability in terms of reducing costs for electricity, CO2, operation and maintenance, and increasing the administrative capacity of the beneficiary by raising the qualification of the experts, the acquired new knowledge, skills, partnerships, and the use of new technologies. The reduction of CO2 emissions will lead to the achievement of the Beneficiary's goals for energy efficiency and environmental protection, and will help to achieve these goals at national and European levels. A comfortable living environment for children in the kindergartens will be achieved, which will increase social cohesion and reduce inequality. The renovated buildings will comply with the goals of a greener, more competitive, and more inclusive Europe. The implementation of the project will help Bulgarian companies become involved in implementation of activities that will provide jobs, and help reduce economic disparities between Bulgaria and the EEA countries.

SUPRAS' WORK
(see Note 2)

Supras Limited is responsible for the implementation of Activity 8 "Exchange of experience, knowledge and best practices at managerial and expert levels", and Activity 8 "Visit to Norway for exchange of experiences".

Two representatives of Supras Limited organized the following events and trainings aimed at the following activities:

1. 14-20 September 2023, Norway. To implement the activity, a participant in the management of the protectorate from the municipality of Plovdiv visited the country with the aim of exchanging experience and good practices in the implementation of energy efficiency in buildings. During the visit, sites were visited in the Kingdom of Norway where energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources were being implemented, and
2. 13-14 October 2023, Bulgaria.  A training took place in at the premises of Plovdiv municipality building. The participants were representatives of the project management team as well as experts from the municipality. Two translators were present, who translated between English and Bulgarian.

The trainings in Plovdiv lasted two days. were organized by Supras Limited's team representing relevant expertise in the areas of EE, capacity building, and knowledge transfer, and focused on:

1. "Management of EE and RES Projects for the Public Sector".  Presentation of successful models and good practices from donor countries in the field of implementing ESM measures in cities, including socio-economic expression of the applied models in both short- and longer term; opportunities for external financing; energy audit procedures, EE management and innovative business solutions, application of modern RES products and technologies, etc.;
2. "Effective Solutions for 'Green' and 'Smart' Cities".  The focus was on consideration of global best practices, innovations and trends in the field of EE for cities and their integration into so-called "smart" solutions for urban conditions.

Lars Soeftestad
CEO, Supras Limited, Norway

Notes
^1/  Image credit: Supras Limited. Poster presenting salient features about the project. Available outside the Edelweiss kindergartens.
^2/  This section is adapted from a project progress report (see Sources).
^3/  Relevant Devblog articles: 'When Santa came to Plovdiv' at: https://devblog.no/en/article/when-santa-came-plovdiv 
^4/  Further relevant Devblog articles: 'Devblog: on EEA and Norway Grants' (Note: lists 12 articles) at: https://devblog.no/en/article/devblog-eea-and-norway-grants
^5/  Photos: (i) Supras Ltd.'s site visit on 13 October 2023, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/supras/albums/72177720312328892/, (ii) Supras Ltd.'s Santa Claus event on 15 December 2023, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/supras/albums/72177720315014300/
^6/  Permalink: https://devblog.no/en/article/project-bulgaria-energy-efficiency-kindergartens
^7/  This article was published 15 January 2024. It was revised 24 February 2024.

Sources
Project proposal. Submitted to the EEA and Norway Grants, October 2021.
Progress report, according to art. 9 of partner partnership agrement No. 22DG-328/19.04.2022; Re: Project BGENERGY-2.002-0018, First Interim Payment.