- 2 min reading time
Planning to renovate your home for energy efficiency? Apply for this grant and save money!
Renovating buildings, saving money, living greener - that's the promise of the Federal funding for efficient buildings (BEG). The program combines the existing subsidies for energy efficiency and renewable energies in buildings. The German government wants to support citizens who want to tackle energy guzzlers in their own homes - above all poorly insulated walls and leaky windows.
If you are planning to make structural changes to your home anyway, now is the ideal time to increase the energy efficiency of your building with targeted measures and receive subsidies for the costs. Loans and grants for energy-efficient renovations and individual measures are provided by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA). In this article, we explain what you need to do to receive BAFA funding and how to apply for it.
What is supported?
All measures on buildings that improve energy efficiency are eligible for funding. The program focuses on individual measures on the building envelope and the associated specialist planning and construction supervision. Professional preliminary planning and advice from energy efficiency experts is particularly subsidized by BAFA. Funded individual measures include, for example
- Insulation of the building envelope, such as external walls, roof surfaces, ceilings and floor surfaces
- the renovation of curtain walls
- the renewal, replacement or installation of windows, external doors and gates
- the renewal, replacement or installation of summer heat protection through external protective devices with optimized daylight supply
A detailed List of eligible measures has been provided by BAFA.
What are the requirements?
In principle, all types of homeowners are eligible to apply. This includes companies, private households, non-profit organizations and local authorities. The following are mandatory for BAFA funding:
- the involvement of an energy efficiency expert. In the search for suitable specialists, the German Energy Agency (dena)
- submitting an application to BAFA before an order is placed with a construction company or service provider
- Measures on the building to improve the energy level
- Construction measures exclusively in Germany
How much is funded?
Your energy-efficient refurbishment is eligible for funding from a minimum investment of 2,000 euros gross. BAFA will cover up to 15 percent of the eligible expenditure. Energy-efficient refurbishment measures are capped at 60,000 euros per year per residential unit with a maximum amount of 600,000 euros per building.
How do I get the grant?
There are five steps to successfully claiming the funding:
Step 1: Obtain a quote
Get a quote for an energy efficiency expert and ask for their ID for the "Technical Project Description" (TBP ID). This is requested in the application. Also obtain a quote for the measures on your building. Please note that you must first just should obtain the offer for the measures. Orders that have already been placed can no longer be funded under the BEG.
Step 2: Submit an application
You can submit the application for funding for your energy-efficient refurbishment place here. Forms for special measures, such as expanding the energy network, can be found on a Special page of BAFA to submit your application. As soon as the application has been received, you will receive an e-mail with an activation link for the BAFA portal. There you can view the processing status of your grant, among other things.
Step 3: Awarding the contract
Place the order to implement the measure. BAFA will check your application and send you a grant notification by post.
Step 4: Send proof of use
Once the refurbishment has been successfully completed, you must upload online proof of use via the BAFA portal.
Step 5: Examination by BAFA
In the final step, the authority checks your documents for completeness and correctness. As soon as this has been done, you will receive an assessment notice and the grant will be paid out to you.
What else is there to consider?
The BEG subsidy can be combined with other federal government subsidies. You can receive grants for barrier-free or age-appropriate modernization in addition to energy-efficient refurbishment. The office has received a high number of applications since the start of the subsidy. Delays must be expected. For any uncertainties or special cases, BAFA has a detailed FAQ prepared.
