New Green Savings will start in April, with 1.9 billion going to the program

Prague - The acceptance of applications for state support in the first call of the New Green Savings program for this year will begin on April 1. This year, 1.9 billion crowns will be allocated to its funding, nearly a billion more than last year. The program will end either when the funds are exhausted or no later than October 31 this year. ČTK was informed about this today by the spokesman for the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) Matyáš Vitík. The first call for applications was signed by the Minister of the Environment Tomáš Jan Podivínský.
The New Green Savings program, which follows the same-name program from last year, focuses on reducing the energy intensity of family homes, on the construction of family homes with very low energy intensity, and on the efficient use of energy sources. According to Vitík, the conditions of the program are essentially the same, differing only in technical details.
Applications for support will be submitted electronically via an online form accessible on the New Green Savings program website, according to Vitík.
The New Green Savings program is expected to provide grants estimated at a total of 27 billion crowns until 2020. According to preliminary estimates, the renovation of family homes and the reduction of their energy intensity were the most common reasons for applications in the previous same-name program.
The New Green Savings 2013 lasted from mid-August to December 20, and nearly a billion crowns were drawn from its account. Critics pointed out that there was a delay and uncertainty between the old Green Savings and the New Green Savings 2013, which supposedly hindered builders' planning. The program was also burdened by greater administration and a lack of experts for energy audits. Some experts suggest that the New Green Savings 2013 will positively affect construction only this year.
The first Green Savings program from 2009 to 2012 supported, for example, the insulation of family and apartment buildings, the construction of buildings to passive energy standards, the installation of low-emission biomass sources, efficient heat pumps, and solar-thermal systems. In 2010, the program was expanded to include energy savings in public sector buildings. A total of 20.2 billion crowns was disbursed for 75 thousand applications. However, the program was accompanied by disputes regarding some rejected applications.