We are preparing a series of specialized seminars for architects and engineers

eng. Mihael Deliyski,
General Manager, Energoeffect Consult

Mr. Deliyski, could you please present Energoeffect Consult’s exact scope of activity to the readers of the South-East European Industrial Market magazine?
Energoeffect Consult is a consulting company for the preparation and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources projects.

Our highly qualified and experienced team of experts and a wide range of technical resources help us perform top quality energy audits and analyze the potential for application of renewable energy. Our portfolio consists of energy audits for industrial facilities, residential buildings, hospitals, kindergartens, and schools.

In some of the major projects carried out by our teams, Energoeffect Consult acted as a national consultant of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works as part of a consortium in the realization of the project "Energy renovation of Bulgarian homes".

Energoeffect Consult was a supervisor on behalf of the Ministry of Energy in the implementation of the project "Improving energy efficiency in 171 public buildings", funded by the Kozloduy Fund and the EBRD. We have advised the EBRD and Raiffeisen Bank in a project for financing of energy efficiency measures in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Metropolitan Trucking Ltd., Herti AD, Alcomet, Transvagon, Coca Cola, Biovet, M-Plast, Enco plastic, Emma 90, Monolith, Bakery TIMS, Boda style, and others, are only a small part of the company projects that we have taken part in.

After the implementation of energy efficiency measures we perform surveillance monitoring to assess the real impact of these measures. We have many years of experience in the field of modern technologies and evaluating opportunities for improving energy efficiency in all aspects of the economy.

As leading lecturers in the trainings "Intelligent energy consumption and energy efficiency" within SEDA "Renewable Energy", "Energy efficiency in SMEs in the Western Balkans" within the Balkan Small Business Association, and "European Energy Manager" (EUREM) under the umbrella of WIFI - Bulgaria, our experts performed practical approach methods in the application of renewable energy sources and shared various tools to improve energy efficiency.

Very successful for us was the project "Improving the knowledge and skills of the administration in the field of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy", which was funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism. Together with VUZF, the Balkan Small Business Association and the Norwegian partner Norsk Energy, Energoeffect Consult provided its know-how to a large number of specialists from different state institutions and municipalities.

The greatest rewards in conducting a series of trainings within this project were the full halls and the satisfaction of the participants who highly appreciated the practical methods used by our team to clarify roughly technical issues in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy. What makes us different from the rest of the competing consulting companies in Bulgaria is the fact that our professionalism is rooted in our long-term practical experience.

We are able to present rough engineering topics in a funny and easy to understand way.
As a result of the implementation of this project, we far exceeded predefined indicators. We are pleased to hear from participants that after the trainings led by our experts they have changed their attitude to the problems related to energy efficiency and renewable energy and as a result of newly acquired knowledge they will be able to make new and successful projects.

Except for the above mentioned project we have several years of working actively in the Balkan countries and partnering with local experts from the countries in South East Europe.

This year you participated in a couple of major industry events. These were the workshops on energy saving organized by the Balkan Small Business Association (BSBA) - tell us more about their main purpose and your role within it.
The workshops on energy saving measures in the company were organized by the Balkan Small Business Association in its effort to support the needs of the small and medium-sized enterprises in South Eastern Europe. They lay only the foundations for a wide-ranging activity in this field in the region.

The Workshops are part of a series of workshops that promote the successful implementation of energy saving measures in the company for the purpose of less energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly policies. The workshops were organized in Sofia, Pristina and Chisinau within the European GO GREEN initiative and according to the latest European directives and legislation related to the implementation of the EU Strategy 2020.

The main objective was to share Energoeffect Consult’s long experience in coordinating projects for energy efficiency and to prevent the participants, state and municipal experts, as well as industry representatives from potential mistakes in the implementation of future projects.

The lecturer, Mr. Mihael Deliyski inspected several enterprises from the region of Chisinau and Pristina in order to make direct observations on the energy management of their facilities. He presented his conclusions and practical recommendations to the participants at the workshops.

The workshops on energy saving were held in Kosovo and Moldova respectively. Do you plan on participating in similar seminars in other Balkan and European countries?
Energoeffect Consult along with the BSBA has been working on the topics of energy efficiency and renewable energy for several years now in the Western Balkan countries. This is just the beginning and after meetings with local experts we have found significant potential for joint projects. Together with our partners from the Balkan countries we are preparing a series of specialized seminars for architects and engineers in Kosovo, Albania, Moldova, Serbia, and Macedonia.

Other than the educational workshops you’re actively taking part in, what other projects do you have planned for the current year?
Of course, our strength lies in the actual implementation of energy efficient measures. As I already mentioned the seminars are just the beginning. We are preparing specific projects for implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings and industrial facilities.

What are your observations on the current state of the renewable market in Bulgaria?
After a sharp decline in feed-in tariffs for "green" energy the interest in these projects has decreased sharply. Now the interest in waste (domestic, agricultural and industrial) management projects is gaining speed once again. The big danger is to repeat former mistakes, as for example, to build mega-projects and installations that have to import waste from abroad. It is a must to change our way of thinking and to start building a one-way road of energy - from large power plants to consumers, towards many local plants and direct energy use on site.

Are companies generally more interested in energy efficiency audits?
Interest in energy efficiency audits is determined mainly by legal obligations and specific European projects. Our goal as consultants on energy efficiency is to help our customers realize the huge potential for reducing energy costs and increasing competitiveness through conscious use of the services of companies like ours.

Energoeffect Consult is in constant search for innovative schemes in the energy efficiency sector. Out most common advice to our customers is that "The cheapest energy is the saved energy!".