Great interest for incentives to replace coal furnaces, boilers in Sarajevo

Sarajevo Canton authorities have received 2,160 applications at the public call for granting incentives to replace household furnaces and boilers on coal and other solid fuels with certified furnaces, boilers on pellet and heat pumps.

The Ministry of Utilities, Infrastructure, Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of the Sarajevo Canton has announced that citizens showed a great interest in the public call to owners of individual housing buildings for subsidies for the replacement of furnaces and boilers on coal and other solid fuels with certified furnaces and boilers and heat pumps. The public call is a pilot project.

EUR 280,000 has been secured for subsidies in the pilot project

It is one of the measures the local authorities are implementing to reduce air pollution. The Sarajevo Canton government has set aside around EUR 280,000 for subsidies. Certified solid fuel furnaces can reduce dust emissions by about 70% and fuel consumption by up to 30%.

The canton is also preparing a ten-year strategy to limit the use of coal and it has promised it would ban the use of coal for heating this year.

The first results will be known by March 15

The first results of the public call should be known by March 15 this year, according to the ministry, the Sarajevo Canton said, as applications will be ranked.

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

Next steps: Rankings, projects, public call for contractors…

The working group will make two rankings: for the applicants for the procurement and installation of pellet stoves and boilers and the applicants for the procurement and installation of heat pumps. The final rankings will be published on the websites of the ministry and the United Nations Development Programme.

Based on the 26 applications by producers and authorized distributors of certified furnaces, boilers and heat pumps, the working group will prepare a list of types and manufacturers that meet the technical criteria envisaged by the public call.

It will be followed by the development of projects for the installation of furnaces and boilers or heat pumps by authorized design firms.

Based on the project and the bid of the contractor, the investment and the amount of the subsidy will be determined

At the same time, UNDP is tasked with publishing a public call for companies to conduct works and to supervise them. The developed projects will be sent to pre-qualified contractors with a request for a bid which will serve as a basis to define the total investment, the amount of the subsidy, and the applicant’s participation.

The beneficiaries will be informed about the selected company and the amount they have to pay for the works, while UNDP will cover the rest, according to the ministry’s press release.