Social Energy Renovations (SER): Maximizing Social Impacts and Boosting Clean Energy Investments in the Non-Profit Sector Through De-Risking, Aggregation, and Capacity Building

The Social Energy Renovations (SER) initiative is an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project that consolidated and deployed the SER HUB to help third sector organizations overcome technical and financial barriers to clean energy renovations. The SER HUB continues its operations and provides integrated services, including technical assistance, financing solutions, credit enhancements, and impact assessments supported by digital tools such as SERVICE4Impact for building pre-audits, REN4Impact for financial planning, and SEE4Impact for social and environmental impact measurement. Initially focused on Italy, SER was replicated in Bulgaria and France and explored opportunities in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland to accelerate renovations, decrease emissions, and reduce energy poverty.

Econoler’s subsidiary, Econoler SA, was the Bulgarian replicator with vast experience in setting up investment instruments for building renovations. 

Econoler SA led project work package 6 – replication and scaling and also participated in communication and dissemination activities. Under this mandate, Econoler carried out the following activities:

• Analyzed the economic and technical renovation potential in the Bulgarian non-profit organization building stock;

• Analyzed of the Bulgarian legislative framework and developed reform proposals to enable the implementation of financing instruments;

• Identified potential pilot projects, entered into contractual relations with stakeholders for eventual implementation, and collaborated in financing identified pilot projects;

• Designed a roundtable strategy, conducted a stakeholder mapping process, and organized individual events in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic;

• Conducted preliminary assessments of market needs and investment opportunities for the implementation of financing mechanisms in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.Overall, 

Econoler enhanced the development of an enabling environment for the replication of the SER financial model and tools in Bulgaria and, leveraging its network across Central and Eastern Europe, facilitated the popularization of the SER HUB concept and approach in several countries throughout the region.