After a sudden stop
The federal government is once again promoting the construction of energy-saving houses
April 2, 2022, 2:25 p.m
Energy Minister Habeck caused an outcry when he stopped the financial support for energy-saving new buildings at the beginning of the year without warning. Now he is announcing a new subsidy pot. However, if you want to benefit from this, you have to hurry.
From mid-April, house builders should again receive state subsidies for energy-saving new buildings. “From April 20th, we will resume funding for new buildings according to the EH40 standard, with changed funding rates and slightly different conditions,” Economics Minister Robert Habeck told the “Rheinische Post”. The rating means buildings use 40 percent of the energy that standard homes require. Houses with higher energy consumption are currently standard in Germany. One billion euros are available for the new program, said Habeck. You have to be prepared for the fact that this sum will be exhausted very quickly.
At the beginning of the year, due to a flood of applications and a lack of funds, Habeck prematurely stopped grants for energy-efficient construction and renovation from the KfW development bank shortly before the end of the application period. After fierce protests, the federal government decided that applications received by a certain deadline would still be processed. There is now no further funding for new buildings with the EH55 standard, but the program is to be continued for renovations and EH40 houses.
If the one billion for EH40 houses has been used up, according to Habeck, there should be a narrower program with more demanding conditions. “This should be an EH40-Plus program, with a quality seal for sustainable building,” he said. In the future, however, most of the money should be invested in renovations, because most emissions are produced in old houses.