Greening Private Homes Possible Under Carbon Credit Deal
The Cabinet has authorized Environment Minister Keit Pentus to sign changes to a carbon credit sale agreement with Luxembourg that will allow the proceeds to be used for making private homes more energy efficient.
Currently only apartment building renovations can be funded.
"A large number of Estonian private homes were built in the middle of the last century, when special emphasis was not placed on energy conservation and heat retention," said Pentus. "In addition it will also be possible to support renewable energy solutions for private homes."
Such renewable energy solutions include funding for solar panels and small wind turbines for in-home power generation.
Up to 4 million euros will be made available for private homes and the contract will be extended by a year, until the end of 2014.
The assistance will be paid to applicants at a rate of 25 percent or 40 percent of the total cost of renovation if the end result is energy label class D or C. The cost of a solar collector is defrayed by 60 percent and that of the wind generator, 70 percent. Oversight and design development services are 50 percent covered.
Estonia's carbon dioxide emissions will decrease by 0.7 million tons as a result of the measure.
Kristopher Rikken