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Sofia, the picturesque capital city of Bulgaria, has officially launched a low-emission zone for household heating — the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
Effective January 1, 2025, the new regulations are part of a broader effort to improve air quality in the Balkan city of 1.3 million people. Among other recent measures, Sofia introduced a low-emission zone for cars in December 2023 to reduce harmful pollutants and promote public transport, walking, and cycling.
The domestic heating initiative is aimed at tackling the biggest air pollutant in the city: The use of wood and coal for heat. In the first phase, homes in areas that have access to district heating or gas distribution networks are banned from using solid fuels for warmth, though the heating low-emission zone will expand to cover the entire city by 2029.
The municipality is covering the cost of switching to cleaner alternatives such as heat pumps, with nearly 5,000 households having applied for assistance to date, according to local media reports. Their old wood and coal appliances will be dismantled and recycled, per news agency Novinite.
Heat pumps run on electricity, are highly energy efficient, and can deliver meaningful cost savings. One hotel east of Sofia is saving €23,150 a year thanks to the installation of heat pumps.
“The low-emission zone in Sofia, although by expert opinion not ambitious enough, is expected to have a significant impact on air quality,” according to the Clean Air Fund, a global philanthropic initiative.
It’ll substantially reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, which cause respiratory illnesses and other ailments, the fund says. Progress will be monitored via hundreds of air quality sensors and diffusion tubes dotted throughout the city, which were partly funded by Breathe Cities, an entity backed by the Clean Air Fund, C40 Cities, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The overall programme will also reduce traffic and enhance economic productivity, among other benefits, the Clean Air Fund says.
Households that don’t comply with the regulations will be subject to fines, according to media reports.
