The new Green Savings program has been utilized only 14% so far

Prague - The grant program New Green Savings for the insulation of family homes has so far been utilized only by 14 percent, and the State Environmental Fund (SFŽP) has recorded 1,453 applications amounting to 263 million crowns. According to fund spokeswoman Lenka Brandtová, there are still 1,134 applications in progress in the system, with the amount having increased by 18 million crowns since last week. Homeowners and builders of family houses could draw up to 1.9 billion crowns for insulation and further reduction of the energy demands of buildings until October 31.
According to Petr Holub from the Chance for Buildings alliance, this is not an ideal situation. "Although the fund took several measures in July to simplify conditions and speed up the evaluation of applications, there is still a prevailing public perception that the program is administratively complicated," Holub told ČTK. The Ministry of the Environment should, according to Holub, make the changes more visible.
Brandtová claims that it is not necessary to utilize all the funds, as the remainder can reportedly be transferred to the second call. "The program is planned until 2020, and its success is not measured by how quickly we use up the money, but by the effectiveness of the funds spent on environmental protection," she responded.
A survey by Chance for Buildings showed that for each registered application, there are three to four pending applications among designers and energy specialists. In total financial volume, these are, according to Holub, applications worth an additional 700 to 800 million. "What we criticize the Minister of the Environment (Richard Brabec from the ANO movement) for is precisely that he has not sufficiently publicized the changes," emphasized Holub.
"It is becoming clear that the estimates of the absorption capacity of subsidies for energy savings in the family home segment were very exaggerated. The rate of investment subsidy is, according to the statements of Chance for Buildings, generous," thinks Martin Hájek, director of the executive office of the Heat Industry Association of the Czech Republic.
Since the first half of July, the program has been administratively simplified, and the state fund has also increased the contribution for project documentation. For example, support for the preparation of expert assessments has increased from the original 10,000 crowns to 20,000 for energy-saving renovations of family homes and the installation of solar collectors. Changes apply to all applications for support submitted within the program since April 1.
It is no longer necessary, for example, to prove ownership of a bank account or to discuss the intention with the building authority; signatures on powers of attorney do not need to be certified, and the excerpt from the land register can be older than 90 days, provided that the data therein is still valid. Nevertheless, Chance for Buildings perceives as positive for the stability of the program that neither the subsidy amount nor the energy requirements are changing. Interested parties can also calculate the amount of subsidy they will receive in NZÚ with an electronic calculator. According to Brandtová, no further changes are planned in the first call.
The fund considers the program successful, and interest is reportedly about the same as last year. "I think critics should mainly realize that this is a unique program funded by the sale of emission allowances, providing citizens the opportunity to improve their living quality and save a lot of money in the future. And it cannot be overlooked that it is a growth-promoting measure during an economic crisis," Brandtová added.