NPÚ advises owners of monuments who want a grant for thermal insulation

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) has designated one employee at each regional office who will advise the owners of monuments who want to obtain state subsidies for insulation under the Green Savings program. Věra Kučová from the NPÚ central office said this to reporters today. The institute wants to prevent potential cases where owners would have a project developed but encounter resistance from conservationists during implementation.
   The Green Savings program was announced by the state in April and was particularly welcomed by entrepreneurs in the construction industry, who claim it is the best anti-crisis measure by the government to date. The program aims to provide subsidies to up to 250,000 households in the next four years. This year, the program is expected to offer about ten billion crowns, and in the next three years, another 15 billion crowns. According to Lenka Brandtová, spokesperson for the State Environmental Fund, the fund has received 49 subsidy applications as of today.
    "We are afraid that an applicant, who is being massaged by the campaign that the program is for everyone, will first contact designers and have documentation prepared at their own expense, which they will then encounter problems with when dealing with us," Kučová said. According to her, conservationists do not typically approve many modifications that the program offers. This concerns, for example, certain alterations to the outer shells of buildings, roofs, facades, and some window replacements.
   An NPÚ employee, whose contact will be available on the office's website according to Kučová, will advise interested parties on what types of measures are suitable for their property. According to Kučová, the NPÚ wants to work with the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) to create examples and model calculations from which monument owners can determine whether the program is advantageous for them at all.
   Since April, conservationists and the ČKA have been negotiating with the State Environmental Fund about possible changes to the program that would allow the acquisition of subsidies for the owners of historical properties without compromising the value of the monuments. However, negotiations are not yet complete, and conservationists therefore recommend that the owners of these properties wait with their applications. "We have also informed the regional offices that there is no need to rush," Kučová noted.
   Immediately after the announcement of the conditions for providing subsidies, the NPÚ expressed concern that the program could harm monuments. According to a statement made by conservationists at that time, the conditions of the program do not take into account the specifics of care for architectural heritage.