Until the first half of 2024, city residents are invited to apply for a new EU funding programme to replace outdated, inefficient and polluting heating equipment. The conditions for allocating and using the €12.44 million of funding available were outlined in the discussion “Pieejamais atbalsts apkures iekārtu maiņai pilsētās”.
As Dana Prižavoite, Head of the Investment Policy Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD), explained, the support is available to all Latvian cities, but especially to residents of Riga, Liepaja and Rezekne, where long-term environmental monitoring has recorded higher air pollution exceedances in relation to the World Health Organisation recommendations. In addition, Riga also has a number of exceedances of European Union legislation. Pollution not only affects the environment, but also human health: it can cause health problems such as respiratory and pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, it causes disorders in the development and functioning of the nervous system, it can affect the reproductive system and even lead to oncological diseases.
The objectives of the support programme are therefore to promote the introduction of long-term and energy-efficient heating solutions that not only save money but also contribute to reducing air pollution. Edgars Vīgants, Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Protection and Heat Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Environmental Engineering, Riga Technical University, acknowledged: "Heating is important for every family and household, as it is the most energy-intensive part of our lives. With energy prices so high, energy efficiency issues are also important so that we can pay as little as possible for heating and get as much comfort as possible. We should increasingly think about 0% or zero-emission technologies to provide this comfort with little or no emissions."
Irēna Emīlia Švilpe, Economic Adviser at the European Commission Representation in Latvia, comments: "In addition to the price stimulus and the European Green Deal targets, I think it is also a safety issue to think about sustainable heating solutions. The geopolitical situation has shown that dependence on energy imports makes us inflexible in situations where prices start to fluctuate. Therefore, changing to a sustainable solution could allow us to be in control of how much our daily bills are."
Taking these aspects into account, the Ministry of Regional Development and Regional Cooperation in cooperation with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) is launching a support programme for the replacement of combustion appliances used for heating in Latvian urban households. The total EU funding available for the implementation of the projects amounts to EUR 12.44 million.
The support is primarily intended for households using biomass (firewood, briquettes, pellets, wood chips), but it is also open to residents using coal or peat in small apartment buildings (indicatively up to 12 apartments).
The programme is open to urban residents living in private houses, terraced and semi-detached houses, small apartment blocks, but the essential criterion is that heating has been provided with wood biomass, coal or peat. It is also important to note that the building must be occupied, the useful floor area for the investment must be greater than 50 m2 and the building must have been in use for at least 7 years and continuously in use for at least the last 3 years. In addition, the energy efficiency class of the building must not be lower than E, which is one of the lowest classes, and the thermal output must not exceed 50 kW.
Madara Austriņa, Head of the Environment and Digitalisation Project Selection Unit, Project Selection Department, Central Finance and Contracting Agency, adds: "To qualify for support, it is good to know your fuel consumption over the last 3 years. The building must ensure that the nominal capacity of the required heating supply does not exceed 50 kW. If the building's heat consumption is not known, an energy certificate must be drawn up with the help of experts. It should be noted that the limit for support is not only based on the objectively required capacity, but also on the number of declared inhabitants. The aim is to ensure that it is the households and their inhabitants who benefit in practice.’’
The intensity of support is high and depends on the priority solutions. For example, for connecting to district heating, which is the most efficient and economically viable solution in the long term, especially in urban, densely populated neighbourhoods, the support amounts to 95% of the eligible costs. For the purchase and installation of heat pumps (basic heating solution) it is 85%, for biomass (pellet) boilers suitable for pellet fuels it is 70%, while the fourth call will also support the installation of an air-to-air heat pump with 50% support.
The amount of funding per project will not exceed €4 400 per declared resident of the household in which the project is implemented. The funding will be allocated through four calls for proposals: the first call for proposals must be submitted by 25 July 2023 (for connections to the district heating system), with contracts to be concluded in autumn/winter 2023. A second call for tenders will be launched for the purchase and installation of heat pumps, following the first one in summer 2023, and a third call for the replacement of biomass boilers (autumn 2023). The fourth call will be in spring 2024, open to all those who have not yet managed to apply in the previous rounds. Households have 24 months to complete their projects, but no later than 31 December 2025. Project activities can be carried out as from 7 April 2023, i.e. without waiting for the submission of the project or the conclusion of the contract, but it should be noted that the project must not have been completed, i.e. a signed acceptance and handover act for the installation of the heating solution, before the submission of the project application. Once the project is completed, the owner of the building will need to ensure that the equipment is properly operated.
The support programme aims to motivate people to think about their living environment and the quality of the city's environment, as well as the efficiency of existing heating installations and the energy resources they use, including by helping them prepare for the new heating season.
For more information on the programme and its conditions, please visit www.cfla.gov.lv or https://www.cfla.gov.lv/lv/2236-gaisa-piesarnojumu-mazinosu-pasakumu-istenosana-uzlabojot-majsaimniecibu-siltumapgades-sistemas, email silti@cfla.gov.lv or call the advisory line +371 24002700, or visit www.varam.gov.lv or https://www.varam.gov.lv/lv/gaisa-piesarnojumu-mazinosu-pasakumu-istenosana-uzlabojot-majsaimniecibu-siltumapgades-sistemas-0.
The discussion was organised by the Association for Education, Culture and Innovative Projects (IKIPA) and can be watched on replay on the Facebook page "Mana vide" https://fb.me/e/1hDAC9D6B
The information campaign "Mana māja. Mana vide" is implemented with the financial support of the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund (LVAF) and provides residents with information on the proper operation of individual heating equipment, good fuel combustion practices, the impact of different fuels on health and the environment. The aim of the activities is to promote a change in the behaviour and habits of the population through the purchase of new equipment and the maintenance of existing equipment, contributing in the long term to the reduction of emissions from household heating installations in urban areas.
