Government boosts energy renovation grants to 500 million euros

The Austrian government will make 500 million euros available next year for energy-efficiency measures, including building renovations and heating-system replacements, ORF reported. Applications open on November 2.

Thermal renovations, such as facade insulation, will receive 321 million euros. Experts at the Upper Austrian Energy Saving Association say modernising buildings constructed 30 to 40 years ago can cut energy costs by up to two-thirds.

A further 179 million euros is earmarked for replacing heating boilers. Funding for this year has already been exhausted, and new applications can be submitted from November 2. The scheme is intended to help households modernise heating systems and reduce energy use.

Funding for solar photovoltaic systems is also changing, with a greater focus on energy storage and feeding electricity into the grid. Thomas Wolfsgruber, head of the electrical engineering guild, said storage and energy management systems are intended to make energy flows more efficient.

Only fully installed systems will qualify under the revised scheme. The change is intended to prevent projects from going without funding, as often happened under the previous system. The amount of support has not yet been announced.