Geothermal heating is making an entrance in Bulgarian kindergartens

The company that is supposed to build the new systems comes from Iceland

Yesterday, the local administration in Sofia announced a new project to install geothermal heating pumps in two kindergartens. The pumps will replace the current petrol heating systems in the buildings and are expected to greatly reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

On top of that, the project includes a refitting of the internal heating system, as well as installing solar panels.

Using Icelandic know-how

The project will be funded through the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area, and carried out by the Islandic company Verkís hf. It will cost around 300,000 euros. The two kindergartens are located in Sofia’s Kremikovtzi district with the project set to complete by 2024.

The installations in both buildings will include a heat pump, using groundwater. According to municipal estimates, the new systems will save 189,727 kWh of energy annually. It will also save around 300 tons of CO2 every year as well, the equivalent to the emissions of 54 homes.

Reducing consumption while increasing renewable sources – a priority for Sofia

Any reduction in emissions is welcomed news for the local authorities in Sofia. After years of dangerous levels of air pollution, the city is finally trying to cut back.

At the same time, the natural gas price spike hit public institutions and local governments pretty hard, due to a latent coal-exit in the country’s energy sector. Some municipalities have even had to resort to instituting scheduled power cuts of municipal energy.

Furthermore, the Bulgarian capital has had a major problem with public kindergartens in recent years, as there are far fewer available spots than there are children. This prompted mayor Yordanka Fandakova to launch a campaign to build 34 new kindergartens across the city.