Justification - There are no necessary local structures which can motivate citizens to use RES and provide information about energy effectiveness in households. No strategic vision for their use is outlined in a document on regional level that can serve as a basis of environment-friendly policy. The delay to introduce energy effective systems for heating and cooling can have a disastrous effect upon nature.

Location ? Gabrovo region, North Central Region

Project Target Groups - there are two types of targeted groups: the society as potential customers of the Center that need information and counseling and the households with DEMO systems plus personal and students in the School for DEMO energy audit

Goal and expected impacts - The project goal is to contribute to decreasing the negative human influence on the climate changing through stimulating implementation of EE activities and using RES in households in Gabrovo region.

Objectives and expected results
1. To develop a mechanism for informing the society for useful methods and techniques for EE in households and in this way ? to provoke the integration of the the global ecological goals in the mass practices for cooling and heating houses. Results - Created mechanism for informing the broad public about energy effectiveness techniques used in every-day life; Established Centre offering various and exact information about EE and RES, as well as other topics related to saving energy and environment protection; people are better acquainted about the use of EE in every day life
2. To engage the municipal and regional administrations to improve the public knowledge about energy effectiveness measures and models and to popularize the use of RES by public presentation of the Regional RES Strategy. Results - developed strategy for RES use in Gabrovo region and implemented of some measures from it; saving energy in households is demonstrated by the Demo sites
3. To encourage the development of local technological solutions like a specific controller that allows the creation of combined system for cooling and heating. Results - the attention of the business sector is attracted to the potential of EE systems related to the possibilities for effectiveness of the environment protection measures, use and ability to sell products


Major activities
1. Event meetings; 2. Collecting information for assessment of the local use of energy, resources and energy alternatives; 3. Developing and popularizing a Regional RES Strategy; 4. Establishing a Demonstration Centre for Energy Management and providing the DEMO audit; 5. Developing the program for the functioning of the centre; 6. Creating DEMO sites with combined energy effective systems for heating and cooling in households; 7. Program for visiting DEMO sites; 8. Activities for promoting the project and its results ? development of a web-site, brochure, informational tour for journalists at the DEMO sites, organizing a round table for sharing the experience (in cooperation with the Community Fund in Gabrovo); 9. Monitoring and internal evaluation of the project

Partnership with GEF SGP proposals/projects
The team of the present proposal got acquainted with the project ?Development of an assessment system for economic and ecologic use of alternative energy and water sources for construction of public buildings? of NetHarvest. We plan to use some of the major approaches related to the RES use in public buildings.
With view to the territorial proximity with Sevlievo the project team envisages a meeting with the project team of "Biological Variety Protection in the region of the rocky wreath "Vitata stena" for exchange of experience for the channels of communication and attracting the public support for ecological measures

Sustainability - The partners PLAMAR LTD and Energy Effectiveness LTD will form a team of expert consultants who will work for the Demonstration Centre. The centre will receive funds from the two demonstration households on the basis of the saved money from energy. The premises and some costs for them will be provided from company, which will develop the controller for the systems. The developed Regional RES Strategy will be implemented in the following years and will continue the politic for stimulating the use of RES in households.

Project Budget
TOTAL, BGN: 115 000
From GEF SGP, BGN: 57 500 ? 50% of TOTAL SUM
OWN CONTRIBUTION, BGN: 57 500 ? 30,26% financial, 19,74% -in-kind