A key new feature of Czech New Green Savings is that applicants will receive money in advance

A key new feature of the New Green Savings (NZÚ) programme for energy-efficient home renovations is that applicants will receive money in advance. Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) said this as he presented the revamped programme alongside Petr Valdman, director of the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic (SFŽP), at the Infotherma exhibition, which opened today in Ostrava. They also announced the first call under the Greengas green gas programme, aimed at producing hydrogen in an electrolyser.

The changes to NZÚ apply only to single-family homes; support for apartment buildings will continue under unchanged conditions. Applications under the revamped call will open on 20 February, and the conditions will remain in effect for the whole year. The minister said the ministry and SFŽP will revise the call’s conditions regularly every year.

„We want to increase the renovation rate, and our aim is to support comprehensive solutions, comprehensive renovations. That is why we are simplifying and harmonising the conditions,“ Hladík said.

The level of support will depend on the type of renovation. „Support of fifty percent is available under the Renovate Your Grandma’s House programme, which covers comprehensive renovation. Support of around thirty percent is available for partial improvements, such as partial insulation, replacing a heating source or installing renewable energy sources. For people in the four target groups—senior citizens, those receiving a housing benefit, those receiving child benefits, or people with a third-degree disability—the subsidy rate is around eighty percent, up to a bonus of 250.000,“ the minister said.

He said the key change is that all applicants will receive the money in advance. „Previously, they had to pay for the renovations themselves and then apply for a grant. That was obviously a constraint, because many people who don’t have much money have no way to finance a renovation,“ Hladík said.

He said it is also possible to combine the grant with a loan from a building society at a favourable interest rate. Hladík said this makes renovations accessible to the middle class as well. „Previously, the middle class either couldn’t qualify for a loan that would allow them to get a grant afterwards, or they weren’t among the eligible target groups. Now the middle class finally has a real opportunity to receive the grant upfront and thereby also qualify for a loan from a building society,“ the minister said.

According to him, NZÚ is a highly successful grant programme. „It has been with us for 15 years. During that time, we have supported a total of 600.000 households—around 15 percent of the housing stock in the Czech Republic—with some form of insulation, a replacement heating source or the installation of renewable energy sources,“ the minister said. The expected allocation for NZÚ this year is 16 billion crowns, he added.

He also presented a call for hydrogen production in an electrolyser, a device that can produce hydrogen by splitting water using electricity from renewable sources. The minister said the electrolyser can be installed directly at the source or on the basis of a contract. Applicants can receive support of up to 65 percent for comprehensive projects, and applications can be submitted from today.

„We are in contact with associations, companies and investors. Hydrogen is the future. This is the first call, and because the technology is still new here, we are not requiring a building permit. That means it is possible to apply for a grant and only then prepare all the documents. We have a five-year time limit, which should be sufficient for the permitting process and then the actual project implementation,“ Hladík said.

Infotherma is the country’s largest specialised exhibition focused on heating, energy savings and the use of renewable energy sources. It showcases, for example, complete heating technologies, insulation solutions, controlled ventilation systems with heat recovery and energy storage. The exhibition at the Černá louka exhibition centre runs until Thursday.