Combination of press programs “I’m saving up» with enhanced tax exemptions is being mobilized to accelerate the upgrading of residential buildings. The aim of the effort, in addition to achieving the energy and climate goals set by the EU, is also to increase the supply of houses for rent and, by extension, to relieve the pressures on the rental market, as many of the vacant houses are off the market as their owners cannot afford them. to proceed with the necessary repair and upgrade investments.

According to the new energy planning, the annual percentage of residential buildings, which will be upgraded energetically, will increase to 1.4% in the year 2030 (corresponds to 79 thousand buildings per year) from 0.8% today (corresponds to 47 thousand buildings per year) ultimately leading to the energy renovation of 19% of residential buildings.

According to the relevant data, the programs for the renovation of houses in the two years 2020-2022 provided the possibility of covering energy efficiency improvement interventions for 126,000 potential beneficiaries. The total budget of the leveraged program for the year 2021 alone amounts to 2 billion euros. The corresponding budget for the 2023 program amounts to 973 million euros.

The promotion of self-consumption schemes will play a central role in the subsidized programs. In other words, photovoltaic installation programs with a storage system for self-production will be strengthened, with the application of energy compensation in the domestic sector, with the aim of reducing energy costs for consumers, and the production of electricity from renewable sources.

At the same time, the financing programs for the renovation of buildings in both the domestic and tertiary sectors will continue to be implemented by adapting and improving the financing model aimed at increasing the number of potential beneficiaries, simplifying the certification of interventions, the more active participation of banks in financing of the required interventions.

The new “weapon” used in the effort to upgrade the building sector is the increased tax exemptions for related investments. The new framework established by the tax bill will provide for a significant strengthening of the tax deduction for property owners who make investments related to the energy, functional and aesthetic upgrading of buildings. With the current framework, the tax deduction reaches 40% of expenses with a maximum expenditure limit of 16,000 euros. That is, for works worth 16,000 euros, the owners have a benefit of 6,400 euros, an amount spread over four years, while the costs for materials are not recognized, but only for the works.