First 100 households in Sarajevo get subsidies to abandon coal in heating

Within a pilot project for incentives for households in Sarajevo Canton to abandon coal and other solid fuels in heating, 77 beneficiaries were selected for subsidies to install certified units that use wood pellets and 27 applicants will get grants for setting up heat pumps.

Out of 2,610 applications in the public call within the Green Economic Development project, only 817 were valid, according to the Ministry of Utilities, Infrastructure, Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of the Sarajevo Canton. It decided to award grants to 77 households to replace their heating boilers and furnaces using coal and solid fuels with certified devices that burn wood pellets.

On top of that, 27 applicants won subsidies for switching to heat pumps. Therefore, 104 residential units were picked to start the coal phaseout in the administrative area that includes Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital city. The canton government’s plan is aimed at improving air quality, as Sarajevo regularly appears at the top of the global pollution charts.

Subsidies for new furnaces and boilers can reach a maximum of 70% of total costs or a maximum of EUR 2,500 apiece, compared to 40% of the total costs or EUR 3,500 for heat pumps.

The pilot project was implemented in the framework of Green Economic Development, financed by Sweden. However, the ministry said it secured the EUR 280,000 in total funds alone. The United Nations Development Programme also participates in the pilot project.