The Greek “Saving 2021” residential energy renovation programme is featured as an Energy Efficiency Best Practice within the SMAFIN Expanded project. The programme was designed to improve the energy performance of residential buildings, reduce household energy consumption and contribute to Greece’s national energy-saving targets. It combined public grants with interest subsidies for loans, supporting households in undertaking energy-efficiency renovations while also mobilising private capital.
Grant rates ranged from 40% to 75%, depending on household income, while additional provisions improved access to renovation support for low-income households. The programme also introduced simplified procedures intended to facilitate participation and support the wider uptake of residential energy renovations. With a budget of approximately €1.2 billion, “Saving 2021” supported energy-efficiency interventions for 87,578 households. The programme formed part of Greece’s wider effort to increase the annual rate of residential renovation and reduce final energy consumption by 2030. Its combination of income-based grants, subsidised financing and targeted support for vulnerable households offers a model with potential relevance for other European countries facing similar challenges in their residential building sectors.
The Best Practice was developed within SMAFIN Expanded, a LIFE CET project working to strengthen smart financing approaches for energy efficiency investments in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia.
Learn more about SMAFIN Expanded: https://inzeb.org/projects/life22-cet-smafin-expanded/