New Green Savings programme (Nová zelená úsporám, NZÚ)
NZÚA state grant programme for energy savings in family houses and apartment buildings, administered by the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic (Státní fond životního prostředí ČR) and financed mainly from the sale of emission allowances. It supports insulation, window replacement, heat pumps, photovoltaics, heat-recovery ventilation and the construction of houses with very low energy demand. The grant is usually paid only after the measures are completed and documented.
Example
A homeowner finances insulation and a heat pump costing CZK 1,500,000 with a renovation loan at 5.00 % over 25 years, with a payment of CZK 8,769. After completion he receives a grant of, say, CZK 300,000. He sends it as an extra payment in the month before the contract anniversary. At 20 % of the loan amount it is below the statutory limit of 25 % a year, so it costs nothing.
In practice
The conditions (when to apply, expert assessment, energy performance certificate, maximum amounts) change with each call, so check them on the programme website before signing with a construction firm. Banks often give a discount on a loan with documented savings, as with a green mortgage. The grant cannot serve as own funds. It arrives only after the work is done, and the whole project has to be pre-financed.
How it differs
NZÚ is a non-repayable state grant, while a green mortgage is a bank loan at a preferential rate for an energy-efficient property; the two can be combined. The energy performance certificate (PENB) is only a document showing the building's energy demand, which both the programme and banks require.
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