Two-thirds of households live in a house with insulation, 91% have replaced windows

Prague – Two-thirds of households in the Czech Republic live in insulated homes. Nine out of ten households have replaced their windows with double or triple glazing. Over the last two years, there has been a slight increase in the number of households that have taken these energy-saving steps. Last year, households spent an average of 61 percent of their monthly housing expenses on electricity, heating, gas, and fuels. The data on living conditions were published by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO).

People previously used support from the New Green Savings program for energy-saving renovations. The acceptance of applications has been halted. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) stated a week ago that the project was good and that the government would seek funding for it.

Statisticians have been mapping living conditions in the Czech Republic regularly every spring since 2005. Last year, 8,500 households participated. They also answered questions about housing. One of the questions concerned renovations for energy efficiency.

"More than two-thirds of households reported that they have insulated façades, roofs, or floors. When it comes to replacing old, leaky windows with new ones that have better thermal insulation properties, it is evident that the vast majority of Czech households already have windows with double or triple glazing. Compared to 2023, there has been a gradual slight increase in these energy-saving renovations," said statistician Simona Měřinská.

There are 4.59 million households in the Czech Republic. Of these, 56 percent live in apartment buildings, just under 44 percent in family houses, and about half a percent in other buildings. Last year, 67.3 percent of households had insulated façades, roofs, or floors. In 2023, it was 65.6 percent. Double and triple glazing was installed in 91.1 percent of households. In 2023, it was 87.8 percent.

On average, households spent 8,897 crowns per month on housing last year, which is 15.9 percent of their net income. Electricity averaged 2,698 crowns, gas 1,415 crowns, heating and hot water 933 crowns, and fuels 369 crowns. This represents almost 61 percent of average monthly housing costs.

Households in Prague have the highest average spending on housing. They pay nearly 2,000 crowns more than the nationwide amount. The average costs reach 10,872 crowns, which is 17.4 percent of the family's net income. Half of the expenses are for energy.

The New Green Savings program for apartment and family houses has supported 374,000 projects according to its website. Applicants for energy-saving renovations received 86 billion crowns. The average grant amounted to 230,000 crowns.

Babiš's government promises in its program statement to support modern technologies and savings in energy. Environment Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) said in January that there is no money for the New Green Savings program and it needs to be adjusted. The announcement received criticism. The Prime Minister later stated on Nova television a week ago that the program is very good for people, has helped them reduce costs, and supported investments, so the government wants to return to it and will seek funding for it. The opposition People's Party called for signing a petition to preserve the program.