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First contracts for co-financing energy renovation of family houses

08.03.2022.

This week, the Environmental Protection an Energy Efficiency Fund sent to the beneficiaries the first contracts for co-financing energy renovation of family houses. The contracts are for funding different energy efficiency measures aimed at reducing energy consumption resulting in lower overhead costs for the citizens.
 

After having received 8495 applications for co-financing, the expert services at the Fund started with the screening of the received documents. The screening process includes the examination of the documents proving ownership and legality of the house, examination of the submitted quotes form contractors, and comparison with the recommendations of energy auditors in the energy audit certificate. After the first screening 1300 applications have been approved so far, and the success rate is a high 87%, showing that the submitted applications were prepared thoroughly and correctly. The high success rate is also the result of many information and education workshops organised by the Fund across  Croatia for all interested citizens.
 
The applications for the renovation are mainly for the houses falling in the energy category E or lower, meaning that the energy efficiency measures will provide significantly lower energy consumption. The most sought-after measure is thermal insulation of exterior walls, reconstruction of the roof and replacement of the glazing. Funding was also available for the installation of RES and PV panels. The majority of submitted applications are from Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja Counties, followed by the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County.
 
The Public Call for the energy renovation of family houses was open to all citizens owners or co-owners of houses with the surface area of up to 600 m2 or up to 3 dwelling units, where more than 50% of the area is intended for living, and who have permanent residence registered at the address. A comprehensive energy renovation of houses with poor energy performance is financed with up to 60%, the installation of RES systems and/or PV systems for generating electricity without the additional energy renovation is co-financed with up to 40, 60 or 80%, depending on the location. These incentives are intended for the houses in higher energy performance categories that do not require the measures to improve thermal insulation of the building envelope.
 
For individual houses, depending on the measures, the Fund will grant up to HRK 204,000, and all costs generated from the date of the Public Call – after 15 September 2021 – will be co-financed. However, the benefits of this programme are far-reaching because the beneficiaries will not only get grant funding, but they will also achieve long-term savings on energy-generating products. Also, energy renovation reduces the demand for fossil fuels and consequently CO2 emissions, it promotes economic activity, and increases the market value of the renovated property.