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Preparatory workshop in Sofia kicks-off CITYnvest capacity building programme in pilot regions

On 13th and 14th of July 2015, representatives of Climate Alliance, GRE-Liège and Energinvest met with Sofia Energy Centre and the Rhodope Association of Municipalities at the first CITYnvest preparatory workshop. The event aimed to investigate which long-term financing solution could be implemented to launch large-scale renovations in different kinds of buildings in the Rhodope region. A particular objective of the meeting was to analyse whether the RenoWatt model, developed by GRE-Liège, could be adjusted and applied in the region.

Participants brainstormed on the challenges and opportunities in the region and defined necessary next steps including; identifying legal, political and administrative constrains and possibilities to bundle investments, deciding if residential buildings should be covered by the pilot project action, investigating whether cooperative models could be applied and choosing the most suitable financing model. At this stage, two models are considered: Energy Performance Contracting applied to large pool of bundled public buildings, and acceleration of retrofits in multi-dwelling units in the frame of Bulgarian national programme promoting investments in residential buildings (Bulgarian Energy Efficiency Fund).

In order to mobilize local stakeholders, an inspirational workshop featuring innovative financing models, which could be applied in 21 municipalities in the Rhodope region, is planned for January 2016.