Old family houses are theoretically worth millions, but they need to be renovated and insulated. The main obstacle to the complete renovation of these houses, according to the Zateplujeme Česko initiative, is that the owners do not have enough money and are worried about the difficulty of the construction work. The analysis of the initiative shows that most of the family houses in the Czech Republic were built before 1980 and about three quarters of them would need renovation now, but in many cases it would be worth demolishing the house and building a new one. However, subsidies from the New Green Savings and Fixing Grandma’s House (Nová zelená úsporám a Oprav dům po babičce) programmes should help with the reconstruction, which will cover a quarter to a third of the cost of repairs, the initiative announced today.
“These family houses are in most cases in a very poor technical condition and are also extremely energy-intensive. Heating with electricity or gas costs tens of thousands of crowns annually. They therefore need complete reconstruction and insulation, which usually requires an investment of two to four million crowns, often more than the current market value of the property. In many cases, it is more worthwhile to demolish the house and build a new one than to reconstruct it,” said Marcela Kubů, director of the Association of Mineral Insulation Manufacturers, a member of the initiative.
According to the initiative, 56 percent of houses were built before 1980, but only a quarter are renovated and insulated. Most of these houses are in villages in low-income regions. According to the initiative, if a house is in good condition and only needs insulation and replacement of windows and heating system, it usually costs from about two million crowns. If the condition of the house is worse and it is necessary to rehabilitate damp masonry, make new waterproofing, ensure the statics of the house or strengthen the foundations of the house, the reconstruction can cost over four million crowns.
According to the initiative, many houses are at the edge of their useful life. Its analysis shows that it is better to do a comprehensive renovation, but up to two-thirds of Czechs repair their houses in parts. The main obstacle to a complete renovation is the lack of their own finances and fears about the difficulty of the construction work or the temporary limitation of comfort, the initiative added.
“Yet a comprehensive renovation could achieve both the highest subsidies and the greatest energy savings, and save up to 70 percent of heating costs, i.e. several tens of thousands a year, and have the house dug up only once. It is also necessary to mention the multiplier financial effect of such a subsidy investment on the state budget in the long term,” said Pavel Svoboda from the Guild for Building Insulation.
The subsidy programme Repair Grandma’s House was introduced by the Environment Ministry in mid-July, but the opposition and some coalition partners have criticised it. The programme is due to be launched in September and offers people up to CZK 1 million in advance for the insulation and reconstruction of older houses. The programme was also evaluated by President Petr Pavel, who at a meeting with Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) called for better explanation of the conditions for drawing the subsidies. Hladík should present the programme in its entire context at the coalition meeting.
Source: CTK
