Nearly 40 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from different regions of Bulgaria received financial support to improve their energy efficiency through the EENergy initiative.
Over the past two years, two rounds of the EENergy initiative by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) were successfully carried out, providing grants to SMEs to increase their energy efficiency and reduce overall energy costs by at least 5%. More than 2,500 applications meeting the initiative’s requirements were submitted by companies from over 30 European countries.
All applicant companies received advisory support, including specialized energy assessments and the preparation of energy efficiency action plans. A portion of the consulted SMEs, randomly selected, were also approved for 100% grant funding of up to €10,000 to implement their plans, focusing on:
- Investments to improve energy efficiency;
- Consultations/audits to identify and implement energy efficiency improvements;
- Training to enhance employees’ skills in the field of energy efficiency.
Within the EENergy initiative, over €7.6 million has been allocated to benefit nearly 1,000 European SMEs. More than 95% of the funded companies have already achieved at least a 5% reduction in their energy costs, while the remaining companies are expected to reach this milestone in the near future.
With the support of experts from Enterprise Europe Network – Bulgaria, 102 applications were submitted by Bulgarian SMEs. Of these, 37 companies from various regions and sectors were randomly selected for funding. Bulgaria ranks among the top five countries in terms of the percentage of funded enterprises relative to submitted applications, alongside the Czech Republic, Finland, Malta, and Germany, with all funds fully invested in business improvements.
The funded Bulgarian enterprises represent businesses from Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Gabrovo, Pleven, Plovdiv, Ruse, Silistra, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Shumen, and other regions, operating in sectors such as trade, services, manufacturing, agriculture, ecotourism, transport, and information and communication technologies. Their plans included investments in rooftop photovoltaic systems and battery storage, purchase of energy-efficient equipment, replacement of outdated machinery, acquisition of electric vehicles, and much more. All Bulgarian companies that completed their projects have already recouped their investment costs.
You can learn more about successful stories of various European companies within the EENergy initiative in the “Success Stories” section of its website, which includes both articles and videos. Under the title “Code Green: 100-year-old authentic Bulgarian guesthouse now welcoming nature lovers with green energy” you can watch the video about the successful story of the Bulgarian company Strenia, while the article “From Invisible Energy Use to Measurable Impact: STS Invest Holding Goes Solar with EENergy support” tells the story of how the initiative helped STS Invest Holding.
If you want to be the first to learn about upcoming opportunities and other business support initiatives, you can also follow the LinkedIn page of Enterprise Europe Network – Bulgaria.