Hungarian Government Relaunches Home Energy Renovation Program
Eased Application Process and Expanded Eligibility for Energy Efficiency Grants
The Hungarian government is set to relaunch its home energy renovation program on Monday, offering families up to 6 million forints in support for energy-saving home upgrades, according to a statement from the Ministry of Energy on Sunday.
The program, which initially launched last summer, has been revised to ease participation requirements, drawing on feedback from its first six months of operation.
Starting January 20, 2025, residences built before 2007 will also be eligible for the program, expanding the pool of potential applicants by approximately 300,000 families.
Administrative burdens have been notably reduced, as the requirement to submit various documents, such as payment schedules, final construction declarations, general income certifications, statements regarding other loans, utility bills, and product descriptions, has either been removed or simplified.
Fundamental to the program is the stipulation that projects achieve at least a 30% reduction in energy consumption.
This can be accomplished through external insulation, window and door replacements, modernization of heating and hot water systems, or a combination of these measures.
Due to EU restrictions, however, support for installing or replacing gas boilers is no longer available.
Additionally, in rural areas, the program can be combined with the Rural Home Renovation Program, enabling comprehensive energy and aesthetic improvements.
The funding package consists of up to 3 million forints in non-repayable grants and up to 3 million forints in interest-free loans.
The grant and loan amounts must always match, though applicants can request lesser amounts of non-repayable funding, which will proportionally reduce the corresponding loan and a standard private contribution of 1 million forints.
The overall budget for the program totals 73 billion forints, with nearly 67 billion expected to be used in rural projects and around 6 billion in urban areas.
In 2024, the MFB Network's bank branches received inquiries from over 46,000 people about the program, and more than 12,000 energy certificates were issued specifically for the applications.
Last year, approximately 4,900 applications were submitted, seeking a total of 27.2 billion forints in funding.
Projections suggest the new phase of the program could support roughly 15,000 families in undertaking renovations.
Loan applications can be submitted in person at the MFB Point Plus branches starting January 20, 2025, until the funds are exhausted, but no later than March 2027.
The program, which initially launched last summer, has been revised to ease participation requirements, drawing on feedback from its first six months of operation.
Starting January 20, 2025, residences built before 2007 will also be eligible for the program, expanding the pool of potential applicants by approximately 300,000 families.
Administrative burdens have been notably reduced, as the requirement to submit various documents, such as payment schedules, final construction declarations, general income certifications, statements regarding other loans, utility bills, and product descriptions, has either been removed or simplified.
Fundamental to the program is the stipulation that projects achieve at least a 30% reduction in energy consumption.
This can be accomplished through external insulation, window and door replacements, modernization of heating and hot water systems, or a combination of these measures.
Due to EU restrictions, however, support for installing or replacing gas boilers is no longer available.
Additionally, in rural areas, the program can be combined with the Rural Home Renovation Program, enabling comprehensive energy and aesthetic improvements.
The funding package consists of up to 3 million forints in non-repayable grants and up to 3 million forints in interest-free loans.
The grant and loan amounts must always match, though applicants can request lesser amounts of non-repayable funding, which will proportionally reduce the corresponding loan and a standard private contribution of 1 million forints.
The overall budget for the program totals 73 billion forints, with nearly 67 billion expected to be used in rural projects and around 6 billion in urban areas.
In 2024, the MFB Network's bank branches received inquiries from over 46,000 people about the program, and more than 12,000 energy certificates were issued specifically for the applications.
Last year, approximately 4,900 applications were submitted, seeking a total of 27.2 billion forints in funding.
Projections suggest the new phase of the program could support roughly 15,000 families in undertaking renovations.
Loan applications can be submitted in person at the MFB Point Plus branches starting January 20, 2025, until the funds are exhausted, but no later than March 2027.
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