Sofia Energy Agency – SOFENA is pleased to invite start-ups and young SMEs to take the advantage of our proposal to conduct a simple energy audit of your office as a grant to reduce energy costs and make green purchases at your company.
On-spot visits starts on August 14, 2017.
In a timely manner, our experts will visit your company, within the first acquaintance meeting that will take no more than an hour. The consultancy service that we provide includes up to 3 on-spot visits to view and evaluate the results within 18 months.
Additionally, you have the opportunity to take advantage of the online knowledge platform and all tools, developed educational programs and tutorials for consultation, and join the e-learning on the Start2Act project.
We look forward to your requests by e-mail (office@sofena.com) and directly on our phones (+358 2 943 44 01, GSM: +359 898 398 108, +359 899 359 284).
Budapest, Hungary, 29 July 2017
START2ACT launched two new free energy efficiency support actions for young SMEs and start-ups from the nine European countries in the summer of 2017. The project aims to help young SMEs to save energy and to reduce their costs at the workplace and to increase their competitiveness.
After the organized business breakfasts across Europe, START2ACT began to open new online services and energy efficiency services on the spot. The first one is the Knowledge Base, which is a free online energy efficiency center accessible to everyone through the project website. In addition, START2ACT started training and mentoring sessions tailored to the specific needs of young SMEs and start-ups respectively.
The Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base serves as an online tool for topics related to energy efficiency. The curriculum program is divided into sections by business type (SME or start-up business) and secondary categories (SME manager or employee, own office or shared office for start-ups). The teaching materials cover key areas, including heating / cooling of offices, lighting systems, efficient measurement and monitoring strategies for monitoring energy consumption of the office.
Using the Knowledge Base, young companies will get an overview of measures and funding opportunities that can help them improve their energy efficiency on the workplace. All the information is country-specific because the Knowledge Base is tailored to those involved in START2ACT.
SME consultancy and mentoring for start-ups
To further assist young companies with the implementation of energy efficiency measures, the project offers two types of on-site support: advisory services for young SMEs and mentoring for start-ups. While SME consultations will be held in their offices, start-ups will be able to meet experienced START2ACT trainers in incubators and shared workspaces.
The flexible modular and discussion structure of start-up mentoring sessions enables learners and participants to reach personalized solutions. During sessions, businesses will be able to explore available energy efficiency tools, the scope of their potential energy savings, and the various methods of including sporadic actions in sustainable office culture. These face-to-face sessions are designed to help companies improve their energy policy without having to carry out extensive research or invest in expensive third-party services.
Who we are
The START2ACT consortium is a group of international energy and entrepreneurship experts who have joined forces to make small businesses more environmentally friendly and more energy-efficient through behavioral changes supported by the Horizon 2020 European Union Research and Innovation Program. It consists of 11 partners from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.
For more information on START2ACT, please visit: www.bg.start2act.eu
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Association of Bulgarian Black Sea Municipalities and the Black Sea Regional Energy Management Agency (BSREMA), as supporting structures of the Covenant of Mayors, are pleased to invite you to the Black Sea Days of Intelligent Energy organized by the Varna District Administration and as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week 2017 (EUSEW).
The Black Sea Days of Intelligent Energy will take place on 21 and 22 June 2017 in Varna. Co-organizers of the event are the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia Energy Agency SOFENA, Black Sea Research Energy Center, Technical University of Varna and the Institute for Zero Energy Buildings.
The main objective of the European Week is to raise awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. In this context, in the form of business breakfasts, seminars, discussions and workshops, the Black Sea Days will bring together business, local authorities and central institutions, facilitating mutual dialogue and cooperation in favor of implementing innovative ways to increase energy efficiency and climate and environment protection; will promote the achievements of local communities in achieving the goals of a better and energy-independent life; will allow the deployment of sustainable energy technologies and models; and last but not least – will provide a forum for exchanging ideas and information on financial and technological tools that help businesses and local authorities to implement climate change adaptation measures.
The detailed program of the event, as well as the venues you can find out in the attachment file: Energy_Days_agenda_21_22_06_Final (002)
The invitation is also accompanied by a registration form, which you can send to us by e-mail: energy@ubbsla.org until 19.06.2017.
Participation is free!
The Second SMARTEL project meeting took place in Valencia, Spain on March 7, 2017. The participants had presentations in each session, examining aspects of the completed and upcoming project activities. During the meeting there were active discussions that enabled the consortium to discuss the progress of the tasks already carried out and to clarify issues related to the upcoming activities and to take decisions by consensus. The meeting ended with a summary of the first semester of the project and a brief presentation of the upcoming tasks and activities. The participants assessed the quality of the meeting using an assessment form.
On 16-18 of November 2016, SOFENA organized and conducted a 3-day specialized training on energy efficiency to the officials of the Municipal Administration of Sandanski in the village of. Chernevtsi, Gabrovo region.
Within the curriculum the technical experts of MA Sandanski got acquainted with the best practices of Gabrovo Municipality and exchanged experience and information on the renovation of buildings, efficient street lighting, green public procurement, etc. Continue reading
On 26-27 October 2016 in Budapest, Hungary, the first periodic meeting of the project START2ACT financed by Horizon 2020 was held. The project aim is to reduce energy consumption in buildings, focusing on consumer behavior in their daily lives through actions on their job places. Major area of ??intervention is the office equipment whose energy consumption in the businesses at present amounts to about 15 percent of the total consumption, and by 2020 within the EU it is expected to double. Continue reading
On 20-21 October 2016, in the town of Panevezys, Lithuania, was launched the implementation of SMARTEL project co-financed by Erasmus + Programme.
The aim of the SMARTEL project is to develop advanced educational resources and materials for vocational education and training for electricians, emphasizing the need for skills in digital and green area. The project partners are representatives of the vocational education and training in smart metering and automation in buildings, in the field of research and innovation, and industry representatives. Continue reading
The award ceremony of the winners in the international competition for saving energy “European employees` climate cup” was held on 11.07.2016 in Brussels organized within the project EECC under the program “Intelligent Energy Europe”. Our country was presented by 2 companies “Denkstatt Bulgaria” LTD and “BSK-Comersconsult” LTD.
For one year from May 2015 to May 2016, in the competition over 175 companies from 10 countries took part, including Germany, France, Italy, Malta, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Spain.
21 Bulgarian companies took part in the competition They were from the following cities: Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Stamboliyski and from different sectors of the economy, including IT sector, production of underwear, consultancy services, studies on gas fields, etc. They have implemented energy saving measures in their offices and totally managed to save over 60% electricity for this one year, result that led to significant cost savings. Among the national level winners are companies as: “Denkstatt Bulgaria” LTD; “BSK-Comersconsult” LTD; ARC FUND; “Petroceltic” Ltd.; “Biju 2009” ltd; “Atlas Consulting” ltd, etc.
The indisputable national winner is “Denkstatt Bulgaria” ltd., with a reduction of 43% energy consumption per one year. They took the second place on the European level, as only one German company “Kaneo GmbH” succeed in overtaking them.