Sofia and Smolyan - leaders in renovating buildings

Smolyan is the second in confirmed applications for energy renewal of housing after Sofia, reported the Regional Ministry. So far across the country 101 applications for renovation are submitted, said TV7. Currently, the Ministry of Regional Development is leading an information campaign in the country, which aims to introduce to more people conditions that allow people to apply for the project "Energy renovation of Bulgarian homes."

The owners of any building approved for funding under the program can receive up to 50 percent of the funds needed for the renovation. The operational program will cover all the costs of establishing the technical characteristics of the building, including the preparation of technical passport and energy affectivity. The project will support the owners associations or the individual owners of multifamily buildings through loans or bank guarantees. The purpose is to ensure their share of the budget for the renovation of the building.

The conditions that have to be covered are as follows - buildings they must be designed before April 1999, and have to be multifamily buildings, as well. Another criterion is that they must have six or more separate entities with separate residential use of three or more floors.

The project is implemented with the financial support of Operative Program "Regional Development", co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The project covers 36 urban centers and lasts three years - by 2015. The total amount of the gratuitous help amounts up to 50 million leva.