energy efficiency demonstration zone in gabrovo energy efficiency EcoEnergy Municipal Energy Efficiency Network Review of activities during the period 1997 - 2003 Table Of Contents Introduction 3 The mission 3 Objectives, tasks and activities 4 Development strategy 4 Partners 5 Introduction of energy policy for efficient use of energy resources 6 Energy information system 6 Model of municipal energy programme 10 Specialised training on energy planning 11 Municipal energy efficiency programmes 12 Diminishing of the burden of fuel and energy costs on municipal budgets 14 Demonstration projects in municipal sites 14 Projects in EcoEnergy member-municipalities 15 Competitions among EcoEnergy member-municipalities 16 Training and technical assistance 17 Diminishing of fuel and energy costs of end-users in municipalities 18 Publications 18 Information campaigns 19 Incentives for energy conservation 19 Projects at end-users' sites 20 Enhancement of the public impact of the Network 21 Joint actions with the authorities and partners 21 Organizational consolidation of the Network 22 International co-operation 23 Directions for future development 24 Tasks ensuing from the national energy policy 24 Energy efficiency as a component of sustainable development 24 Diminishing of the burden of fuel and energy costs on municipal budgets 25 Diminishing of fuel and energy costs of end-users in municipalities 25 Tasks ensuing from the national environmental protection strategy 25 Tasks ensuing from the national policy on local self-government Tasks ensuring organizational strengthening of the Network and conditions for its sustainable development 25 26 Annexes Annexe 1: Intermediate Rules of Procedure of the Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy 27 Annexe 2: List of municipalities and regional associations, members of MEEN EcoEnergy 29 Annexe 3: Action Programme for the period 2002 - 2007 32 Annexe 4: List of events conducted during the period February 1997 - April 2004 35 References 38 2 Ånergy Åfficiency Demonstration Zone In Gabrovo Introduction The mission Objectives, tasks and activities Development strategy Partners Bulgarian municipalities spend approximately 4-8% of their annual budgets for fuel The mission and energy costs. Compared with the respective expenditure of municipalities in the In their attempt to unite their efforts and increase the effective- developed European states the share of these costs is significantly higher. This is due ness of their actions, in February 1997 23 Bulgarian municipali- to both the unsatisfactory state of repair of the buildings and in-house systems, and ties founded a voluntary non-formal association under the name the obsolete and poorly maintained technical facilities and equipment. Municipal Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy. There is no time decision-makers are constantly seeking for ways and means to alleviate the burden of limit for the existence of the Network. The Center for Energy energy costs. Some local authorities impose restrictions on energy consumption by Efficiency EnEffect has been assigned the role of Secretariat of switching off street lighting or keeping indoor temperatures in buildings below the the Association. EcoEnergy is operating on the basis of minimum standards. Others orient themselves towards implementation of isolated Intermediate Rules of Procedure, Action Programme (1997-2002) measures or full-scale projects for energy efficiency improvement. These efforts of and Plan of Work for the current year, approved by the General local authorities, however, stumble upon a number of regulatory, financial and Assembly of the Association. The activities of the Network are co- technical barriers, which no municipality may overcome if acting in isolation. ordinated by a Board of Directors, elected for a one-year term-of- office. The founding of the Network and its initial steps were supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of the project Municipal Energy Efficiency Initiative. Since May 1998 the activities are financed above all by the proj- ect "Energy Efficiency Strategy for Mitigation of GHG Emissions. Energy Efficiency Demonstration Zone in the city of Gabrovo, Republic of Bulgaria", funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This project comes to end at the end of April 2004. EcoEnergy - Municipal Energy Efficiency Network 3 EcoEnergy is established in 1997 at the initiative of 23 municipalities. In 1998 another 3 municipalities joinåd the net- work. Since 2000 the number of mem- bers is 31. One year later the number of municipalities became 35 and the number of associations of municipali- ties - 4. In 2002 the number of mem- bers is 39 municipalities and 6 munici- pal associations. At present the net- work includes 54 municipalities and 6 associations. The mission of the Network is to contribute for establishment of efficient energy use as an _____ Expert technical and methodological assistance on initiation, important component of the sustainable development policy of municipalities in Bulgaria. working out, procurement of financing and implementation of ener- gy efficiency projects; Its activity focuses on municipalities as important political and socio-economic subjects of transition in Bulgaria. _____ Training and skills upgrading of local management and tech- nical personnel in the field of energy planning and management ; _____ Implementation of international contacts with municipalities and sister-organizations in other countries and with financing institu- Objectives, tasks and activities tions. The interaction among Network member-municipalities is per- EcoEnergy has three major objectives: formed with the help of the Secretariat. _____ Establishment of municipal policy for efficient use of energy resources as a major component of the sustainable development Development strategy policy; One of the strategic objectives of EcoEnergy is to create conditions _____ Diminishing of the burden of fuel and energy costs on munic- for self-financing of the Association upon completion of the project ipal budgets; currently providing funding for its activities. To this end, a Business Plan for development of the Network was drafted in 1999. According _____ Diminishing of fuel and energy costs of energy end-users in to this plan, by registration of a non-formal association as a legal municipalities. entity conditions will be created for: In order to assist municipalities to overcome the barriers to energy _____ Self-financing of Network activities based on future-oriented efficiency, which ensue mainly from the weakness of the responsible planning of revenue and costs in compliance with an approved institutions and the shortage of funding, knowledge, skills and infor- development strategy; mation, EcoEnergy implements the following major tasks: _____ Acquirement of its own material stock and intellectual proper- _____ To render assistance to municipalities to identify the opportu- ty, necessary for implementation of the major functions of the asso- nities for energy conservation and to formulate municipal energy ciation; efficiency projects; _____ Broader public recognition of the Network in the country and _____ To assist the exchange of experience in the field of efficient abroad as a potential party under local and international energy effi- energy management; ciency programmes and projects. _____ To contribute to institutional and human capacity building for The Strategy for Development of EcoEnergy till 2010, approved by development and management of energy efficiency programmes the First Annual Conference of the Network, held in December 1998, and projects in Network member-municipalities; envisaged giving priority to medium-sized and small municipalities _____ To contribute to the development of proposals for institutional when recruiting new members. This ensues from the fact that larger and legislative measures for energy efficiency improvement in com- municipalities, which usually have also the highest energy costs, pliance with the needs and requirements of municipalities; possess also the greatest human and technical potential for energy _____ To assist unification of the efforts for influencing the state pol- efficiency improvement. Usually, there are technical universities, icy related to financing of municipal energy efficiency projects from research and development centers and consultancy companies specialized public funds; located on their area. Quite frequently there is also a significant con- centration of international programmes and investments there. For _____ To collect and disseminate information about achievements in these reasons, they need to a lesser extent additional methodologi- the field of energy efficiency and innovative energy conservation cal and technical assistance for design and procurement of financ- technologies. ing for new demand-side energy efficiency projects. (Fig.1) EcoEnergy works for achievement of its objectives by implementing In 2003 the number of member-municipalities was 54 and that of the the following activities: associated members of the Network 6 or a total of 159 municipalities, _____ Exchange of information and experience on the opportunities accounting for 69% of the population of Bulgaria. for more efficient energy use in municipalities; The Strategy for Development of the Municipal Energy Efficiency 4 Ånergy Åfficiency Demonstration Zone In Gabrovo Network EcoEnergy envisages that is shall