Sven Müller, head of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund of Croatia, visited hotel Maestral in Novigrad with ministers for environment and tourism Mihael Zmajlović and Darko Lorencin. The facility, located in Istria peninsula in the country’s west, is owned by company Laguna, which will introduce energy efficiency mesures and energy from renewable sources in this one and its other hotel in the island of Korčula, the Feral. The fund secured a grant of HRK 1.8 million (EUR 240,000) for projects that are worth EUR 460,000 in total.
„This year we support energy efficiency and protection of the environment with HRK 600 million. That means HRK 1.5 billion for projects that are good for the environment, for cutting costs and good for green jobs,“ Zmajlović said. Müller added that the fund co-finances projects for renewable energy sources in tourism with EUR 1.17 million this year and that there were more than 50 applications.
Novigrad was supported by the fund with 40% of costs for installing renewables systems and energy efficiency works in family houses, in two projects worth an overall EUR 370,000. The fund said it also co-finances installation of new efficient public lighting and replacement of the old one with EUR 220,000 in an endeavour of EUR 610,000. A project of similar value and support is being implemented by the County of Istria in order to reconstruct an elementary school, and the fund also supports a local utility for waste management and street maintenance in activities to protect the environment, Novigrad mayor Anteo Milos said.
Citizens have also invested in energy efficient technologies in the last two years, and were also supported by the state. Recently an incetives scheme for 10,000 devices ranked A+++ was financed with EUR 105 per item, and the funds were used in a matter of days. This year the rehabilitation of 2,263 family houses was supported until July 16 with EUR 14.62 million, about two thirds of the cost. The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund said there were 1,800 applications accepted for the programme of energy rehabilitation of residential buildings, compared to 774 from last year. Incentives are worth EUR 19.75 million.
