Bulgaria

Overall assessment of SRI test phase

Coordination of SRI test phase

The SRI test phase in Bulgaria is led by the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy and the National Sustainable Energy Agency with the support of the LIFE project  Smart Square. Other LIFE projects are also carrying out activities in the country: SRI-ENACT.

Timeline of SRI test phase

The test phase started in March 2024 and it is expected to end by June 2025.

Activities carried out during the SRI test phase

During the non-committal test phase of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) in Bulgaria, the methodology was adapted to the national context and tailored to reflect local building stock characteristics and regulatory frameworks. A dedicated SRI assessment toolkit was developed alongside training courses to ensure the availability of qualified auditors. In total, 135 pilot assessments were conducted across a diverse range of buildings, including educational (30), office (33), healthcare (9), and other non-residential facilities (39), as well as multi-family houses (10) and other residential buildings (14). These assessments largely leveraged existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and energy audit data, ensuring efficient integration with established procedures. In parallel, simplified questionnaires and “call centre” tools were tested to engage building owners and raise public awareness, while digital tools and checklists were validated to support more standardised and efficient SRI evaluations. Complementary capacity-building and dissemination activities helped increase stakeholder awareness and market readiness, supported by targeted workshops with authorities, municipalities, and industry representatives. The pilot confirmed the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of combining SRI with EPC and audit processes, while also revealing gaps in regulation and technical capacity, particularly regarding monitoring and control of building systems. Importantly, results demonstrated that significant improvements in SRI scores can be achieved through optimisation of existing automation systems without major investment. Based on these findings, key recommendations include streamlining SRI within the EPC and audit framework, considering mandatory assessments for large non-residential buildings after 2027, developing national benchmarks and weighting factors, expanding training programmes for auditors, enhancing assessment tools, and introducing financial incentives for buildings achieving higher SRI performance.During the non-committal test phase of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) in Bulgaria, the methodology was adapted to the national context and tailored to reflect local building stock characteristics and regulatory frameworks. A dedicated SRI assessment toolkit was developed alongside training courses to ensure the availability of qualified auditors. In total, 135 pilot assessments were conducted across a diverse range of buildings, including educational (30), office (33), healthcare (9), and other non-residential facilities (39), as well as multi-family houses (10) and other residential buildings (14). These assessments largely leveraged existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and energy audit data, ensuring efficient integration with established procedures. In parallel, simplified questionnaires and “call centre” tools were tested to engage building owners and raise public awareness, while digital tools and checklists were validated to support more standardised and efficient SRI evaluations. Complementary capacity-building and dissemination activities helped increase stakeholder awareness and market readiness, supported by targeted workshops with authorities, municipalities, and industry representatives. The pilot confirmed the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of combining SRI with EPC and audit processes, while also revealing gaps in regulation and technical capacity, particularly regarding monitoring and control of building systems. Importantly, results demonstrated that significant improvements in SRI scores can be achieved through optimisation of existing automation systems without major investment. Based on these findings, key recommendations include streamlining SRI within the EPC and audit framework, considering mandatory assessments for large non-residential buildings after 2027, developing national benchmarks and weighting factors, expanding training programmes for auditors, enhancing assessment tools, and introducing financial incentives for buildings achieving higher SRI performance.