Filenews 20 November 2024
The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry is issuing a call for applications for the sponsorship scheme "Save – Upgrade in Housing (2024)", with a total budget of €30,000,000.
An announcement by the Ministry states that applications will be accepted from Thursday, November 21 at 9 a.m., until January 31, 2025 at 11.59 p.m. or until the available budget is exhausted, only through the online Subsidy Scheme System of the Department of Industry and Technology, on https://fundingapps.meci.gov.cy website, using the browsers Chrome, Firefox and Edge. The order of priority will be determined on the basis of the order in which proposals are submitted (direct evaluation).
The right to submit an application is open to any natural person, who will be able to submit an application within the framework of the call.
As mentioned, residences should meet the following conditions:
-belong to natural persons.
-not be used by anyone for the exercise of economic activity.
-have an existing EAC account with household tariff and it belongs to a natural person.
-the first connection of the residence to the network must have been made before January 1, 2008 (or the application for the issuance of their town planning / building permit must have been submitted before 21/12/2007).
The plan covers investments in thermal insulation of the shell, replacement of frames, installation of shading systems, solar water heating systems, autonomous air conditioners and heating / cooling systems with high efficiency heat pumps, as well as the installation of photovoltaic systems operating with the net-billing method, the installation of energy storage batteries and service costs by a qualified expert.
Before submitting an application, interested parties must, inter alia, obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for their residence, which is issued by Qualified Experts registered in the relevant register of the Energy Service (Register of Qualified Experts).
The scheme is implemented through a simplified cost procedure, setting a specific grant amount for each type of eligible expenditure. For homes of vulnerable consumers, homes in mountainous areas and refugee housing in refugee settlements, increased sponsorship is provided. The detailed table of costs is posted in Annex A of the Plan Implementation Guide.
The announcement adds that the maximum amount of sponsorship that can be granted to each residence is determined by the type of investment that will be chosen.
Specifically:
Investment A: Maximum grant amount €32.000. It concerns residences that will be upgraded to Nearly Zero Energy Buildings and will achieve energy savings of at least 60%.
Investment type B: Maximum grant amount €24.000. It concerns houses that will be upgraded achieving energy savings of at least 60%.Investment type
C: Maximum grant amount €7.775. It concerns the upgrade of heating / cooling systems of houses that have EPC category B or better, with the installation of a new heat pump. The installation can be combined with the installation of a photovoltaic system using the net-billing method.
In order for sponsorship to be granted, the percentage of primary energy savings set by the type of investment to be selected must be ensured. The calculation of this percentage is made by comparing the existing EPC with the final EPC that will be issued after the completion of the investments.
The existing EPC of each residence, for which an application will be submitted, must have been issued after 1/7/2024 (inclusive). All investments that have been or will be implemented after the issuance of the initial EPC of the residence will be eligible.
The implementation of eligible costs before the submission of an application is possible, but this will be done at the sole responsibility of each interested party and will not bind the final decision of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry on the approval or not of the application. In such a case, not all eligible investments should be completed before the date of application. Those interested who choose to implement expenses before submitting an application, should keep in their possession all the necessary supporting documents (invoices, photos, etc.), which will confirm the time of implementation and the type of investments made.
Those interested can be informed about the sponsorship scheme, but also apply through the website of the Industry and Technology Service, where the detailed Guide for the Implementation of the Scheme has been posted. This Guide sets out all the details, including the eligibility criteria and the amount of grant corresponding to each expenditure and each type of investment.
There is also a Draft service hotline at 17107.
