BPIE: Europe's buildings under the microscope - PU Europe

Table 2C2 – A summary of selected financial programmes across Europe
Source: BPIE survey
AUSTRIA - Federal promotion of extraordinary efficiency
in buildings
In 2006, Austria’s federal and state governments launched a programme
for residential buildings to achieve a consumption level of
65kWh per square metre, falling to 25-45 kWh/m 2 by 2010, including
incentives for use of renewable heating systems. The programme is expected
to generate 10,000 additional jobs (Total budget: €1.78 billion).
BELGIUM - Interest free loans to stimulate retrofitting in
Wallonia region
A 1-billion euro plan including energy efficiency renovations is to be
adopted soon in Wallonia. The objective is to reduce energy bills and
CO 2
emissions, while creating 5,000 jobs by 2014. The programme covers
private dwellings and public buildings including public housing,
schools and municipal buildings. The renovations will benefit from private
support up to 100% financing. In the case that the owner agrees
to make several renovations, the costs not covered by the premiums
will be interest-free loans.
FINLAND - Energy audit programme
Finland’s Energy Audit Programme (the EAP) is one of the oldest
national energy efficiency grant schemes in place. EAP started as a
subsidy policy in 1992 and has operated as a full-scale programme
since 2004. It is a voluntary programme promoted by a 40 % to 50
% subsidy on energy audits. The total amount of subsidies during
the period of 1992-2007 has been €23.1M. Since 1992 some 6 800
buildings have been audited. The cumulative savings during the
whole period 1992-2007 are approximately 360 million EUR and
over 11 TWh, of which industry accounts for about 70 %.
FRANCE - The sustainable development account
(livret de developpement durable)
It is a savings account that pays tax-free interest of 2.5% a year
for investments of up to €6000. Together with funds raised from
the previous CODEVI account, total funding is expected to reach
€60bn. Since January 2008, every bank must allocate at least 2 % of
the total account to the improvement of the energy performance
of the building. Preferential loans can be awarded to individuals,
co-properties and entrepreneurs for the purchase and installation
of: energy efficient boilers; thermal insulation (walls, windows,
shutters); thermal regulation equipment; equipment producing
energy from renewable sources; space and water heating equipment
using wood or other biomass; heat pumps.
GERMANY - Loans and subsidies from the reconstruction
credit institute, KfW
The government-owned banking group Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau
(fW) plays a central role concerning promotion of energy
savings and CO 2
reduction in the building sector. Between 1990
and the end of 2009 subsidies for at least 3.1 million homes were
implemented. In 2009, total subsidies amounted to €16.9 billion,
of which €10.6 billion was for energy efficiency and €6.3 billion for
renewable energies. KfW offers subsidies and loans for new buildings
as well as energy efficient renovations that meet requirements
of the quality label “Effizienzhaus” (efficient building).
POLAND - Energy management in public sector
“The Green Investment Scheme – Energy management in public sector”
supports implementation of thermal modernization projects in
public services buildings, in particular: a. heat insulation of the buildings,
b. replacement of windows and external doors, c. upgrading
lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, d.
drawing up technical documentation for the project, e. energy management
systems in buildings and f. use of renewable energy sources.
(Budget: PLN 555M as a subsidy (equivalent to 126M euro), PLN
1110 bn (equivalent to 250M euro) in the form of a loan extended by
the National Fund).
SLOVAKIA - Energy efficiency and renewable energy
finance facility
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in
cooperation with the Slovak Government have financed a programme
for local banks to provide loans between 20,000 EUR and 2,500,000
EUR (as well as grants of 7.5-15% of the loan amounts), together with
free technical assistance, for private companies and housing associations
implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
SPAIN - Plan to boost energy services contracts
(plan 2000 ese)
The plan articulates a set of measures to reduce energy consumption
in the targeted buildings by at least 20%. Alongside reductions
in CO 2
emissions and reduced energy dependence, the aim
is to boost the market for ESCOs, thereby increasing stable employment.
The implementation of the plan is expected to have a
favourable impact, either from the point of view of the expected
energy savings, reduction in CO 2
emissions, the cutback on energy
dependence and the market boost of ESCOs, which will be translated
into stable employment.
SWITZERLAND - National building support programme
of the climate cent foundation
The Climate Cent Foundation (now the Buildings Programme) is
funded by a charge levied on all petrol and diesel imports at a rate
of 1.5 cent per litre. Support is for energy renovation of existing
buildings envelopes, i.e. roofs, walls and windows. By October
2010, 6750 projects had been completed and 118 million Swiss
Francs had been paid out. Over the period 2008 to 2012, contracted
projects will reduce 240000 tonnes of CO 2
emissions at an average
price of 790 Swiss Francs per tonne of CO 2
.
UK - Energy supplier obligations
In force since 1994, they initially applied to monopoly electricity
suppliers in England and Wales, but were soon extended to cover
suppliers in Scotland and N. Ireland, and then, from 2000, gas suppliers
throughout the UK. The scheme has also evolved from a levybased
approach, where particular levels of expenditure per supplier
were mandated, into one where, since competition was introduced
into the retail sector in 1998-99, the obligation has shifted to meeting
a carbon reduction target, without specifying the level of expenditure.
Initially applicable to households and small-medium
businesses, the scheme has applied to the residential sector only
since 2000.
Europe’s buildings under the microscope | 93