In the New Green Savings, there is a shortfall of about 12 billion crowns

Prague - The New Green Savings program is missing approximately 12 billion crowns. From the originally planned 27 billion for insulating homes, the state currently has about 15 billion available. The decrease in funds is related to the drop in emission allowance prices, from which the entire program is financed. Environment Minister Richard Brabec (ANO) stated this on Czech Television's program "Questions Václav Moravec" today. According to him, the money the government currently has for the ecological program will last until 2016.
    The minister believes that the government will ultimately have more money for home insulation. "It will depend on the price of the emission allowance, which has decreased significantly. But for the government, this is one of the key projects, because we have huge potential for energy savings," Brabec said on Czech Television.
    If it proves impossible to obtain the required 27 billion crowns through the sale of allowances, according to him, it is possible to take the money from elsewhere. Brabec is prepared to negotiate additional funding for the project with his party leader and Minister of Finance Andrej Babiš. One of the options being considered to obtain financing is to supplement the New Green Savings from the profits of the energy giant ČEZ.
    The grant program for home insulation was launched on April 1. According to Brabec, around 600 people have applied for state financial contributions so far, requesting a total of about 150 million crowns for their projects. The start of the program is a bit slower, which is probably related to the fact that people do not yet have finalized modernization projects.
    The state intends to provide 1.9 billion crowns for the New Green Savings this year, one billion more than last year. Thus far, most requests for support are for the insulation of family homes. Within the program, people can also replace windows, doors, or old non-ecological boilers with new energy-efficient ones.
    Applicants can receive up to a fifty-five percent subsidy for the insulation of a family home and up to a seventy-five percent grant for new ecological sources. The more ways to save energy the applicant implements, the higher the support they will receive according to the Ministry of the Environment. If they combine selected measures, they can also achieve a one-time financial bonus. People can now also obtain a contribution for the purchase of solar systems for family homes.
    Last year, the New Green Savings program exhausted nearly one billion crowns. In the first Green Savings program from 2009 to 2012, 20.2 billion was paid out for 75,000 applications.