Measuring devices, i.e. electricity and gas meters, hot and cold water meters, installed after 25 October 2020 must have a remote reading option, according to the amendment of the Energy Efficiency Law, recently adopted in the Parliament, and the deadline for the introduction of smart meters is 2027.
As of 1 January 2021, when construction new buildings or in the reconstruction and renovation of old buildings, all investors are obliged to design them close to zero energy consumption. However, this provision is not to be applied retroactively. By 2050, 60 % of residential buildings and nearly 17 % of the non-residential buildings must be renovated in Bulgaria. This is planned in a long-term national strategy aimed to support the renovation of the national stock of residential and non-residential buildings by 2050, part of the Energy Efficiency Law. It is expected to save 7,329 GWh of energy per year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3,274,453 tons of CO2. The implementation of energy efficiency measures in the next ten years, between 2021 and 2030, renovation will help to save 2,971 GWh per year, representing a 6.9 % decrease in total energy consumption of households and the service sector.