History

Foundation Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect is a non-for-profit organization founded in 1992 in Sofia, Bulgaria in response to the urgent need for energy conservation in all areas of public life. It was established with initial financial support from Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Through its active participation in research and investment projects to improve energy efficiency, EnEffect is supporting the efforts of Bulgarian central and local authorities and the private sector for sustainable energy development for more than 30 years. 

Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect is the majority owner of two separate legal entities: 

EnEffect Consult Ltd. performs energy audits of buildings and industrial systems according to the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Act and provides consulting services in the field of energy efficiency in the country and abroad.

EnEffect Design Ltd. offers integrated investment design services for nearly-zero energy and passive buildings. 

Since 1997, EnEffect acts as the secretariat of Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy, offering expert support to regional and local authorities to implement sustainable energy policies and practices. As part of the international EEE consortium (Econoler-EnEffect-Elana), EnEffect manages the Bulgarian Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources Fund, established with the support of the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank and the Bulgarian government.

KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF ENEFFECT:

  1. 1992 Establishment of the organisation
  2. 1997 Establishment of the Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy in Bulgaria in 1997, with EnEffect as its secretariat
  3. 1998 Legal registration as Foundation Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect
  4. 1998 Start of the project "Strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Energy Efficiency Demonstration Zone in Gabrovo", 1998-2004.
  5. 1999 Establishment of Regional Network for Efficient Use of Energy and Water Resources (RENEUER) at a regional conference in Sofia on the initiative of municipalities and NGOs from five countries. The secretariat functions are performed by EnEffect and the Black Sea Regional Energy Centre.
  6. 2001 - 2003 EnEffect is coordination Centre for Bulgaria under the Municipal Networks for Energy Efficiency (MUNEE) programme of the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations/ECE.
  7. 2002 - EnEffect is national contact point for the European Green Light Programme of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. 
  8. 2001 - 2004 - Participation in the Energy Efficiency 21 project of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. 
  9. 2002 - 2003 - Developed Bulgarian versions of the software products "ENCI Key Values for Building Energy Audits" and "ENCI Financial Calculations". 
  10. 2003 - Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy with EnEffect as secretariat become a full member and active participant in the European network "Energy Cities" (Energie-Cités). 
  11. 2004 - Establishment of a consultancy division "EnEffect Consult", specialized in energy efficiency audits, energy and financial analyses, techno-economic studies, assignments for designing energy efficient buildings, etc. 
  12. 2005 - Member of a tripartite consortium for preliminary studies, establishment and management of the Bulgarian "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources Fund". 
  13. 2005 - 2008 - Series of projects to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the residential and public sectors, funded by the European Commission/Intelligent Energy Europe Programme. 
  14. 2006-2009 - Management, coordination and implementation of the project "Building Local Capacity to Promote Energy Efficiency in Private and Public Buildings", funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
  15. 2009 - Contract with UNECE for the project "Financing Energy Efficiency for Climate Change Mitigation".
  16. 2009 - 2010 - First training on green design and construction practices. Practical approaches and solutions for design and construction of low energy and passive buildings.
  17. 2010 - Completed methodology for municipal energy planning under MODEL project.
  18. 2010 - Published "10 Books on Green Architecture", "Green Vitruvius" and "99 Best Practices" (www.buildingreen.net). 
  19. 2010-2017 - "Municipal energy sector reform in Ukraine" project series.
  20. 2014 - Dr. Arch. Zdravko Genchev is a member of the jury of the renouned architecture competition "Passive House Award".
  21. 2015 - The first certified passive house in Bulgaria – kindergarten "Sun" in Gabrovo – is completed
  22. 2015-2021 - EnEffect is the most active Bulgarian organisation in the EU Horizon 2020 research programme with 24 approved projects.
  23. 2017 - A Training and Demonstration Centre for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Building Knowledge Hub) is opened in the buildings of the UASG.
  24. 2019 - EnEffect's VET projects are presented as best practice at a Horizon 2020 information day in Brussels.
  25. 2021 - EnEffect is named Centre of Excellence for High Performance Buildings by UNECE at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
  26. 2021 - Metropolitan Municipality's Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan is completed.
  27. 2021-2022 - A series of events with high-level participants on the role of local governance in supporting sustainable energy policies conducted
  28. 2022 - The first projects under the new EU LIFE programme are launched.
  29. 2022-2023 - EnEffect is an active participant in the Renovate Bulgaria initiative, part of the European Renovate Europe movement.