Almost two-thirds of Czechs are interested in subsidies for greener and more efficient housing. However, only 14 percent of respondents have so far used the support. This is according to a survey conducted by NMS Market Research for Raiffeisenbank and in which over 1,000 people aged between 18 and 64 took part. People living in smaller municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants use the most subsidies for sustainable housing. As age increases, the interest in green housing fades.
Of the 14 per cent of residents who have benefited from subsidies, 40 per cent are from towns and villages with a population under 5,000. An equal 11 percent of respondents are from towns with populations under 20,000 and 100,000. In the largest cities, eight percent of respondents used the subsidy. Overall, younger generations tend to be more interested in taking advantage of support for sustainable housing. In the age range of 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 years, 18 per cent of people showed more interest. This is six to eight percentage points higher than the responses of respondents in other age categories.
According to the survey, the most common use of subsidies by Czechs is for the installation of photovoltaic panels. They account for more than a third of all uses. A quarter of respondents used the subsidy for house insulation and the same number used the subsidy for window replacement. Twenty-two per cent of respondents claimed a grant to install heat pumps and 21 per cent claimed funding to replace old, non-compliant boilers. A smaller proportion of subsidies were used for installing rainwater harvesting systems or building a passive house.
The Department of the Environment said in January that it would increase support from the New Green Deal (NGS) programme, which can be applied for for basic or partial insulation. The Repair Grandma’s House programme is also to be used for comprehensive insulation of houses and flats. Applicants will receive part of the money upfront in the form of a non-repayable subsidy, while the rest will be borrowed at a more favourable 3.5% loan. The loan amount is updated every six months and can be granted up to twice the amount of the grant. According to Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL), 1,750 people have applied for subsidies from the programme for the insulation of family houses Repairing Grandma’s House since its launch last autumn and about CZK 1 billion has been paid out.
An analysis of the Czech Republic in Data portal shows that three quarters of family houses built before 1970 have partial insulation. Most of the partially insulated houses have replaced windows with thermal insulation glazing. Every fourth family house has an insulated roof and 30 per cent of them have insulated walls.
According to Bezrealitky.cz, the interest in buying old houses has increased after the launch of more favourable loans from the programme Oprav dům po grandička for property reconstruction. The average number of responses per offer increased by around 40 per cent year-on-year. According to a survey conducted by Stavební spořitelna Česká spořitelna, more than half of people would use their own savings to reconstruct and make their house more energy-efficient, while a quarter would apply for a subsidy. A third of people would choose financing in the form of a loan, either a mortgage or from a building society.
Source: Raiffeisenbank and CTK
