Green mortgage (zelená hypotéka)
A mortgage with a preferential rate for an energy-efficient property or for a renovation that cuts energy consumption substantially. Banks usually judge eligibility from the energy performance certificate (PENB, průkaz energetické náročnosti budovy) issued under Act No. 406/2000 Coll., on energy management, typically requiring class A or B. It is not a statutory product, and each bank sets its own conditions and discount. How much the discount saves is worked out in our guide to the green mortgage.
Example
The buyer of a new build rated B gets a green discount of, for example, 0.2 percentage points on the standard 5.00 %, i.e. 4.80 %. On a CZK 4,000,000 mortgage over 25 years the payment falls from CZK 23,384 to roughly CZK 22,920: about CZK 460 a month, or around CZK 28,000 over a 5-year fixed period. Lower energy bills come on top.
In practice
The PENB must be valid and specific to the flat or house, not a generic one for the whole project; for a new build, ask the developer for it before you sign the reservation. Some banks make the discount conditional on supplying the PENB within a set period after final building approval (kolaudace). Compare the resulting rate rather than the size of the green discount, because another bank's standard offer may still be cheaper.
How it differs
The Nová zelená úsporám subsidy (state energy-saving grant programme) is paid by the state through the State Environmental Fund; a green mortgage is only an interest discount from the bank, and the two can be combined. An ordinary rate discount rewards the client's behaviour, while the green discount is tied to a feature of the property.
Related terms
In-depth guide
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