<p>On Monday, applications for the New Green Savings will start being accepted.</p>

Prague - Applications for the first call of the New Green Savings program, which is focused on supporting environmentally friendly housing in single-family homes, will begin to be accepted on Monday. However, the program has a number of critics. They point out that it starts too late for builders, has less funding available, and is more administratively demanding. Minister of the Environment Tomáš Podivínský is, however, convinced that the program will help not only the construction industry.
The Ministry of the Environment has allocated one billion crowns for support, and plans to add another 800 million from emissions allowances, with the caretaker government promising one to two billion crowns from the funds of the state enterprise Lesy ČR.
"We have been putting billions into construction continuously and we truly planned billions from operational programs for calls for energy savings in buildings, so that the construction industry remains in good condition," Podivínský told ČTK. However, construction companies fear that their season will end this year before the administrative requirements for applications are processed. Podivínský emphasized that the program counts measures that are implemented from January 1 so that construction production, transport, and related services are continuously maintained.
According to Petr Holub, director of Chance for Buildings, an alliance of industry associations, many small and medium-sized construction companies have been struggling with a sudden decline in demand for construction work. People, according to him, have been waiting for the repeatedly postponed announcement of the program's conditions, which only came two months ago. The problem is reportedly the submission of applications based on the date set by the ministry, rather than the individual needs of the applicant.
He claims that people do not want to invest in energy-efficient renovations or new quality housing, as stipulated by the Ministry of the Environment, but according to their own standards. "The system of ministerial calls in a stop-and-go mode, moreover, causes turbulence in the demand for construction work and harms small and medium-sized companies that otherwise welcome the program," Holub stated. As a solution, he proposes a long-term program with stable conditions and financing and ongoing application acceptance.
Households affected by flooding are favored in the program, with the state promising up to a twenty percent discount on all types of the specified measures. The first disbursements of funds are planned by the Ministry of the Environment for the autumn, and the acceptance of applications will end only when the set allocation is exhausted, no later than November 29. A list of professional suppliers is part of the new program, meaning that applicants can receive funding if they use legal companies with legal employees. "These are additional effects for the state," noted the minister.
The call focuses on measures such as insulation, construction of single-family homes with very low energy demands, effective use of energy sources, and replacing heat sources with solid or environmentally friendly sources.
The first Green Savings program managed 21 billion crowns and supported quality insulation and new clean heat sources in at least 150,000 households. However, it was not sufficient for all applicants. According to Stanislav Křeček, a representative of the ombudsman, the Ministry of the Environment also made several mistakes, such as failing to apply the administrative code. Unsuccessful applicants can reportedly turn to the court.