374 private homes renovated with help of Kredex grant in 2020
The number of homeowners who either began renovating their private home or improving its level of energy efficiency using state support surged last year to a total of 374, with the total sum of support issued for renovations by the state-run Kredex foundation amounting to €3.35 million.
Kredex will continue providing reconstruction grants for small residences this year as well, and applications are being accepted from March 1 with some €1.3 million to be made available for these projects this year.
Support was sought most frequently last year for the installation of heat pumps and new windows, as well as roof and facade insulation.
While in the preceding three years, the reconstruction grant was used by over 760 homeowners and the total sum of support disbursed amounted to €3.6 million, last year alone saw a similar total volume of grant decisions made, as the number of applicants grew significantly.
The grant was pursued more actively last year due to the conditions having been made more favorable for applicants, and also as a result of consistent work towards raising homeowners' awareness about their options, according to Triin Reinsalu, head of the department for dwellings and energy efficiency at Kredex.
"We've been disbursing this support for five years already and by doing so we have greatly contributed to boosting awareness about energy efficiency, which is now clearly bearing fruit."
"Growth in the number of applications is to a significant extent also attributable to the increased intensity of support; depending on the area, grants for comprehensive reconstruction works increasing the energy efficiency of a private home were capped at €50,000 or 50 percent of the cost of the work. As to partial reconstruction work, applicants could seek up to 30 percent of the cost of works and up to €20,000 covered them," Reinsalu said.
The largest number of support applications, 137, were filed in Harju County, the most populous region of the country, followed by Pärnu County with 62, Lääne-Viru County with 42, Tartu County with 37 and Viljandi County with 34 applications.
Kredex will open a new call for grant proposals on March 1. The regulation of the grant has not changed. The budget of the measure is €1.3 million, and the application round will remain open until the budget is exhausted.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Roberta Vaino