08.09.2021.
After the Government adopted the Decision on extension of the Programme of energy renovation of family houses, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund is planning to launch a new Public Call. “The interest in this programme is still strong. So, this year we have provided 300 million kunas in grant funding, which is 100 million more than last year. We have also provided the additional 100 million kunas for the houses that were damaged in the earthquakes, for which a separate public call for will be launched at the end of October,” said Siniša Kukić, the director of the Fund.Last year the Fund approved co-financing for 3100 family houses, and unlike in the previous calls, this time the overall energy renovation will be co-financed together with independent renewable energy systems, including micro-solar systems. The goal of all these co-financing measures is to reduce the quantity of energy required for heating and cooling, to increase the use of renewable energy sources, and finally to improve the quality of life of the citizens and reduce their costs.
A comprehensive energy renovation of houses with poor energy performance will continue to be financed with the grant of up to 60% including mandatory improvement of thermal insulation of some elements of the building envelope such as exterior walls, roof, floor or glazing, and it can include the installation of the renewable energy systems and/or the PV system for electricity generation. On the other hand, the installation of the renewable energy systems without any accompanying energy renovation measures will be co-financed with up to 40, 60 or 80%, depending on the location. These incentives have been allocated for high-energy performance buildings that do not require improvements of the building envelope.
As has been the case so far, eligible applicants to the Fund’s public call are citizens whose houses have the surface area of up to 600 m2 or up to 3 dwellings, with more than 50% of the surface area used for living. The maximum amount of co-financing will be defined for each respective measure, and by combining different measures a household will be eligible for the grant of up to HRK 204 000. Depending on the measures the citizens chose to implement, they will have to meet different conditions of co-financing and prepare the relevant documentation, for which they will have 30 days after the launch of the Call. The main condition is regular (co)ownership and permanent residence at the address of the house. Citizens can request expert assistance during the process that the Fund will finance with up to 500 kunas.
The applications for co-financing will be submitted online, with the improved application’s functions. “We conducted different analyses and held a round table with experts in various fields to optimise the method of application. The final conclusion was that online application was the best way to implement these types of calls. We believe that all users will welcome the new features, and we expect that they will facilitate the process of applying and receiving the requests for co-financing,” explained the director of the Fund, adding that workshops will be organised across Croatia in cooperation with the units of local and regional self-government. “In order to explain to the greatest extent possible the requirements of the public call to the citizens, and to answer all their questions, we are planning to hold a number of workshops. If the epidemiological situation takes a turn for the worse, we will hold the workshops online, and all the presentations and materials will be available on our website,” said Director Kukić. After the public call is launched, the Fund will post on the website contact telephone numbers and e-mail addresses to which citizens can ask questions regarding energy renovation of houses.
The Fund wishes to provide continuity in the implementation of the programme of energy renovation of family houses, and since this continuation is envisaged by the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan as well as the EU climate policy, the citizens can expect these incentives in the future.
