Energy Efficiency

Serbia to roll out subsidies for citizens for energy efficiency this year

Serbia subsidies citizens for energy efficiency

Photo: Ministry of Mining and Energy of Serbia

Published

March 5, 2021

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

March 5, 2021

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Minister Zorana Mihajlović said subsidies for the replacement of doors and windows and wall insulation could become available by the summer.

Ahead of today’s World Energy Efficiency Day, citizens learned the Government of Serbia and municipal authorities may soon start to approve funds for the energy renewal of houses, apartments and residential buildings. For the upcoming investment cycle in energy, the state is preparing EUR 4 billion to EUR 5 billion, but the country is wasting four times more energy than its neighbors and as much as six times more than the European Union, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović told Prva television station.

“We have to be rational about resources,” she stressed and pointed to the lack of thermal insulation in residential space but also old joinery and inefficient devices in households. The Energy Efficiency Fund has already been helping local authorities refurbish public buildings. With the Draft Law on Energy Efficiency and Rational Energy Use, which the government should pass soon, a framework will be created for subsidies for citizens.

Public calls may already start in summer

The National Assembly could vote on the bill in less than three weeks, enabling the planned energy efficiency authority to be formed by June, Mihajlović said and added subsidies will start to be approved before the end of the year, with applications beginning perhaps in the summer. The government must appreciate every citizen, she underscored. The minister stressed a part of the funds would be approved via the local authorities as well as that entire residential buildings would have the opportunity to apply.

Most funds should be secured through credit lines

The smallest share will come from the budget, as credit lines should be secured, she revealed and estimated energy renewal could cut energy bills by up to 25%. The new law will enable more consumers to become qualified for the category of buyers at risk of energy poverty and use the benefits offered for gas, electricity and thermal energy, Mihajlović said.

Deadline for completion of energy efficiency works to be set at one year

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Germany’s KfW Development Bank are assisting the Government of Serbia in defining a model for the energy efficiency authority. According to earlier information, the funds will be granted through public calls and the deadline to complete works will be set at one year.

Estimates show 70% of homes in Serbia aren’t insulated enough.

The European Union published its Renovation Wave Strategy in October. The ambition is to at least double the renovation rate in the next ten years. In the guidelines for the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, the European Commission proposed for the program to be expanded to the region. The governments there embraced the agenda in November by signing the Sofia Declaration.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

bih meti network SME reset decarbonisation plastoflex

METI Network: Small, medium-sized enterprises are leaders of decarbonization in BiH

18 September 2024 - The success of SMEs is perfectly illustrated by the project "Energy Transition Network in Industry in BiH – METI Project", which was implemented by RESET and the Enterprise Development Agency Eda

Third Von der Leyen European Commission green transition environment Teresa Ribera

Third of Von der Leyen’s next European Commission to handle green transition, environment

18 September 2024 - Spain's Teresa Ribera and Demark's Dan Jørgensen are Ursula von der Leyen's picks for the top energy jobs in the next European Commission

state of energy union report 2024 kadri simson

2024 State of the Energy Union report reveals progress, gap in efforts to meet climate targets

12 September 2024 - The 2024 State of the Energy Union report is out. It is an update on how the EU acted on unprecedented developments and challenges in 2023.

Serbian White Book Waste-to-Energy Belgrade

Serbian White Book on Waste-to-Energy presented in Belgrade

07 September 2024 - The types and composition of generated waste must be determined to be able to manage it, according to the authors of the Serbian White Book on Waste-to-Energy