Key Indicators & Decisions (KI&Ds) – Bulgaria – 2020

Last updated 24 October 2022, 07:56

Key Implementation Decisions – GENERAL BACKGROUND

no	Key Implementation Decisions – General Background	Description / value / response	Comments
01.01	Definition of public buildings (according to article 9 b)	There is no adequate definition of public buildings in Bulgarian legislation corresponding to the wording “buildings occupied and owned by public authorities” referred to in paragraph 1 (b) of Art. 9 of the EPBD. The intermediate annual targets for improving the energy performance of new administrative buildings satisfying the definition of the nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) are given in the National Plan for NZEBs 2015-2020, adopted by the Council of Ministers in December 2015. These administrative buildings (offices) include buildings occupied and owned by public authorities (state, regional or local authorities).
01.02	Definition of public buildings used by the public (according to article 13)	There is no definition of public buildings used by the public in Bulgarian legislation corresponding to the wording referred to in paragraph 1 of Art. 13 of EPBD. There is no need for such a definition because the Energy Efficiency Act stipulates that the owners of buildings with a total floor area over 250 m², for which an energy performance certificate has been issued, shall be bound to clearly display the certificate in the building.
01.03	Number of residential buildings	2,078,906 residential buildings (3,970,719 dwellings) with useful floor space in dwellings of 195,999,682 m² as of 31.12.2019	Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria
01.04	Number of non-residential buildings	Not available
01.05	If possible, share of public buildings included in the number given in 01.04	Not available
01.06	If possible, share of commercial buildings included in the number given in 01.04	Not available
01.07	Number of buildings constructed per year (estimate)	Average number of newly constructed buildings for the period 2017-2019 is 6,088 buildings per annum.	Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria
01.08	If possible, share of residential buildings constructed per year (estimate, included in the number given in 01.07)	Average number of newly constructed residential buildings for the period 2017-2019 is 2,527 residential buildings per annum.	Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria
01.09	If possible, share of non-residential buildings constructed per year (estimate, included in the number given in 01.07)	Average number of newly constructed non-residential buildings for the period 2017-2019 is 3,561 non-residential buildings per annum.	Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria
01.10	Useful floor area of buildings constructed per year in million square meters (estimate)	Average gross building area of newly constructed buildings for the period 2017-2019 is 4,004 x 10⁶ m² per annum, including: 2,094 x 10⁶ m² of residential buildings; 1,91 x 10⁶ m² of non-residential buildings (0,128 x 10⁶ m² of offices + 1,782 x 10⁶ m² of other non-residential buildings.	Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria

Key Implementation Decision – NEW BUILDINGS

no	Key Implementation Decision – New Buildings	Description / value / response
02.01	Are building codes set as overall value, primary energy, environment (CO₂), reference building or other	Overall value, primary energy, environment (CO₂), reference building
02.02	Requirements for energy performance of residential buildings in current building code	A new residential building meets the requirement for energy efficiency, when the value of its integrated energy efficiency indicator (specific annual expenditure of primary energy" in kWh/m²) corresponds at least to energy efficiency class “B” (96 kWh/m² ≤ ЕР ≤ 190 kWh/m²)
02.03	Requirements for energy performance of non-residential commercial buildings in current building code	A new non-residential commercial building meets the requirement for energy efficiency, when the value of its integrated energy efficiency indicator (specific annual expenditure of primary energy in kWh/m²) corresponds at least to energy efficiency class 'B' (276 kWh/m² ≤ ЕР ≤ 550 kWh/m²).
02.04	Requirements for energy performance of non-residential public buildings in current building code	A new non-residential public building meets the requirement for energy efficiency, when the value of its integrated energy efficiency indicator (specific annual expenditure of primary energy" in kWh/m²) corresponds at least to energy efficiency class “B”. Different values of the integrated energy efficiency indicator are set for different categories of non-residential public buildings, as given in the table below:
02.05	Is the performance level of nearly zero energy (NZEB) for new buildings defined in national legislation?	Yes The definition of NZEB is given in the Energy Efficiency Act of 15 May 2015 (amended as of 30 December 2016).
02.06	Nearly zero energy (NZEB) level for residential buildings (level for building code)	The energy consumption of a residential NZEB, defined as primary energy, complies with Class “A” on the scale of energy consumption classes for residential buildings (48 kWh/m² ≤ ЕР ≤ 95 kWh/m²) and not less than 55% of the energy consumed (supplied) for heating, cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water and lighting is energy from RES produced on-site or near the building.
02.07	Year / date for nearly zero energy (NZEB) as level for residential buildings (as indicated in 02.04)	January 2021
02.08	Nearly zero energy (NZEB) level for all non-residential buildings (level for building code)	The energy consumption of a non-residential NZEB, defined as primary energy, complies with Class “A” on the scale of energy consumption classes for non-residential buildings of the relevant type, as given in the table below:
		Category of buildings	EP_minin kWh/m²	EP_maxin kWh/m²
		Offices	70	140
		Educational buildings:
		Schools	25	50
		Universities	45	90
		Kindergartens	33	65
		Hospitals	70	140
		Hotels	85	170
		Wholesale and retail trade services buildings	138	275
		Sports facilities	88	175
		Buildings related to culture & arts	55	110
		and not less than 55% of the energy consumed (supplied) for heating, cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water and lighting is energy from RES produced on-site or near the building.
02.09	Year / date for nearly zero energy (NZEB) as level for non-residential buildings (as indicated in 02.06)	January 2019 for buildings occupied and owned by public authorities and January 2021 for the other non-residential buildings, incl. commercial buildings
02.10	Are nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB) defined using a carbon or environment indicator?	No
02.11	Is renewable energy a part of the overall or an additional requirement?	Renewable energy (minimum share of 55% of the final energy for heating, ventilation, domestic hot water and lighting) is a part of the overall requirement for a NZEB to be fulfilled on top of the maximum energy performance.
02.12	If renewable energy is an additional requirement to NZEB, please indicate level	N/A
02.13	Specific comfort criteria for new buildings, provide specific parameters for instance for airtightness, minimum ventilation rates	Yes. Minimum energy performance requirements for buildings or building units take account of general indoor climate conditions. There are specific requirements for comfort, such as requirements for airtightness, minimum ventilation rates, humidity resistance, watertightness, that are used for calculating the energy performance of buildings. The reference values for minimum rates of ventilation with the ambient air are, as follows:
		Type of the room	n_min, h^-1
		Habitable room	0.5
		Kitchen or bathroom with a window	1.5
		Office room	1.0
		Meeting room, classroom	2.0
		The level of airtightness for the whole building is given in the table below:
		Level of airtightness of the building	Multifamily buildings at n₅₀, h^-1	Single-family & 2-family building at n₅₀, h^-1
		Low	< 2	< 4
		Medium	2 +- 5	4 +- 10
		High	> 5	> 10
		Depending on the category of building or building units there are specific requirements for comfort temperatures, as follows: 20°C in offices, conference and lecture halls, restaurants, classrooms, crèches, single-family houses; 16°C in department stores, museums and galleries; 15°C in churches.

Key Implementation Decision – EXISTING BUILDINGS

no

Key Implementation Decision – Existing Buildings

Description / value / response

Comment

03.01

Is the level of nearly zero energy (NZEB) for existing buildings set in national legislation?

Yes

03.02

Is the level of nearly zero energy (NZEB) for existing buildings similar to the level for new buildings?

Yes

03.03

Definition of nearly zero energy (NZEB) for existing residential buildings (if different from new buildings)

There is no separate definition of NZEB for existing residential buildings. The definition is the same as for the new buildings.

03.04

Definition of nearly zero energy (NZEB) for existing non-residential buildings (if different from new buildings)

There is no separate definition of NZEB for existing non-residential buildings. The definition is the same as for the new buildings.

03.05

Overall minimum requirements in case of major-renovation

In case of major-renovation the buildings meet the requirement for energy efficiency when the value of their integrated energy efficiency indicator ("specific annual expenditure of primary energy" in kWh/m²) corresponds, at least, to:

energy efficiency class “B”, for buildings commissioned after 1 February 2010 (the same requirements as those for new buildings – see item 2.1 and 2.2 above), or to
energy efficiency class “C”, for buildings commissioned before 1 February 2010, as given in the table below:

Category of buildings		EP_minin kWh/m²	EP_maxin kWh/m²
Residential building		191	240
Offices		281	340
Educational buildings:
	Schools	101	130
	Universities	181	220
	Kindergartens	131	195
Hospitals		281	365
Hotels		341	390
Wholesale and retail trade services buildings		551	600
Sports facilities		351	400
Buildings related to culture & arts		221	270

03.06

Minimum requirements for individual building parts in case of renovation

Minimum energy performance requirements are set for the renovated building elements that form part of the building envelope and that have a significant impact on the energy performance of the building envelope. The values of the heat transfer coefficient cannot be higher than the reference values of the heat transfer coefficient, specified in the tables below:

Type of Envelope Structures and Elements	U, W/m².K
Type of Envelope Structures and Elements	Internal T° θi ≥15 °C	Internal T° θi < 15 °C
External walls in contact with the external air	0.28	0.35
Walls adjacent to unheated spaces, when the difference of average temperatures between heated and unheated spaces ≥ 5° C	0.50	0.63
External walls of heated basement adjacent to the ground	0.6	0.75
Floor slab over an unheated basement	0.50	0.63
Heated floor area directly bordering the ground in a building without basement	0.40	0.50
Floor of a heated basement	0.45	0.56
Floor of a heated space in contact with external air	0.25	0.32
Wall, ceiling or floor in contact with the external air or the ground with built-in area heating	0.40	0.50
Flat roof or sloped roof with heated underroof space designed for habitation	0.25	0.32
Ceiling slab of an unheated flat roof with an air layer with thickness δ > 0.30 m	0.30	0.38
External door, solid, adjacent to the external air	2.2	2.75
External door, solid, adjacent to an unheated space	3.5	4.38

When an energy audit includes recommendations for improvement of the energy performance of building envelope itself or in combination with measures in technical building systems or devices consuming energy, the values of the heat transfer coefficient is allowed to be 10% over the reference values in the both tables above.

The technical building systems requirements apply to new buildings and the refurbishments and/or major renovations of existing buildings (when major renovations include all technical systems). The special requirements relate to:

parameters of systems for solar energy utilisation for domestic hot water;
seasonal efficiency of heat pumps with electrically driven compressors in heating mode (specific fan power SPF_min ≥ 3.5) and using thermal energy (specific fan power SPF_min ≥ 1.15);
seasonal efficiency of the air-to-air recuperators of ventilation and AC systems in heating mode η_r,_min ≥ 70%;
efficiency of boilers (including steam boilers and boilers burning biomass at nominal and partial load) for calculating the integrated energy efficiency indicator of the building - minimum requirements are given depending on the type and capacity of the boilers and the average temperature of the heated water;
use of products in the buildings which must provide a high degree of environmental and health safety.

03.07

National targets for renovation in connection to Long Term Renovation Strategy (number or percentage of buildings)

03.08

National targets for renovation in connection to Long Term Renovation Strategy (expected reductions and relevant years)

Key Implementation Decision – ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES

no	Key Implementation Decision – Energy Performance Certificates	Description / value / response
04.01	Number of energy performance certificates per year (for instance average or values for of 3-5 years)	The total number of EPCs issued in 2017, 2018 and 2019 amounts respectively to 1,057,1,086 and 1,067. Remark: Only EPCs issued for the whole building are included into the above statistics. (An EPC can be issued for a building unit as well.)
04.02	Number of EPCs since start of scheme	10,987 EPCs from 2010 through 2019 Remark: Only EPCs issued for the whole building are included into the above statistics. (An EPC can be issued for a building unit as well.)
04.03	Number of EPCs for different building types
04.04	Number of assessors	286 assessors (companies) for all categories of buildings + 20 assessors (energy efficiency consultants, natural persons) for residential and mixed-use buildings of a low-rise development and country-house buildings
04.05	Basic education requirements for assessors	The assessors (the energy efficiency consultants) are required: - to have secondary technical education, higher education or an acquired academic degree in field of Technical Sciences completed or recognised in Bulgaria or in another EU member state or in another state which is a party to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreements or in Switzerland; - to have acquired a length of service in the speciality after completion of the education - of not less than 6 years for holders of secondary technical education, not less than 3 years for holders of an educational qualification degree of Bachelor, and not less than 2 years for persons holding an educational qualification degree of Master or holding a science degree;
04.06	Additional training demands for assessors	Yes. The assessors (the energy efficiency consultants) are required to hold a certificate of successfully passed exam for raising their qualification in higher education institutions teaching their students in specialities in the field of Technical Sciences, professional profiles of Energy, Electrical Equipment, Electronic Equipment and Automation and Architecture, Construction and Geodesy accredited in Bulgaria or in another EU member state or in a state which is a party to the EEA Agreement or in Switzerland. Energy efficiency consultants attain qualification at two levels: - Level 1: competent to perform the activities for all categories of buildings; - Level 2: competent to perform the activities for residential and mixed-use buildings of a low-rise development and country-house buildings; and the course involves 115 and 80 hours of tuition, respectively.
04.07	Quality assurance system	The verification of energy audits and inspection reports is performed by the SEDA through systematic or random sampling of the audited buildings and the inspection reports. Control over the activity of the energy auditors is exercised by means of: • checking the validity of the input data of the building used to issue the EPC, as well as the results stated in the certificate; • checking the input data entered in the EPC and verifying the results, including the recommendations made for energy efficiency improvement; • a full check of data, results and measures prescribed for energy efficiency improvement by an on-site visit in order to verify the validity between the data stated in the EPC and the certified building. An independent random control was carried out on all the EPCs and inspection reports issued in 2015 and 2016. Up to the end of 2016, no fines / penalties had been imposed.
04.08	National database for EPCs	Yes
04.09	Link to national information on EPCs / Database	https://portal.seea.government.bg/bg/IndustrialSystemsReport

Key Implementation Decision – SMART BUILDINGS AND BUILDING SYSTEMS

no	Key Implementation Decision – Smart Buildings and Building Systems	Description / value / response
05.01	Is there a national definition of smart buildings?	No
05.02	Are there current support systems for smart buildings?	No
05.03	Are there currently specific requirements for technical building systems (for instance in building codes)?	Yes
05.04	Are there current requirements for automatics (for instance in building codes)?	No
05.05	Chosen option A or B for heating systems (inspection or other measures)	A
05.06	Number of heating inspections; reports per year (if option A)	218 in the year 2017 204 in the year 2018 77 in the year 2019 Source: Database on the condition of the heating systems maintained by the SEDA
05.07	Chosen option A or B for cooling systems (inspection or other measures)	A
05.08	Number of air-conditioning / cooling system inspections; reports per year (if option A)	11 in the year 2017 92 in th3 year 2018 3 in the year 2019 Source: Database on the condition of the air-conditioning systems maintained by the SEDA
05.09	Is there a national database for heating inspections?	Yes
05.10	Is there a national database for cooling / air-conditioning inspections?	Yes
05.11	Are inspection databases combined with EPC databases for registration of EPCs and inspection reports?	Yes (Both databases are referenced one to another in order to cross information)
05.12	Link to national information on Inspection / Database	N/A (restricted access database)