The Minister of European Funds, Adrian Cachiu, says that this year new vouchers from European funds will be given to those who want to install photovoltaic panels and storage batteries. However, in his statements, Cachiu says that “this is not a consumer program, those who will benefit from these vouchers will produce for their own consumption,” but “prosumer” means just that: to produce energy for their own consumption. In addition, Câciu reports that for the first time the money will be given to cladding houses, although the “Energy Efficient House” program has been in place for several years in the Office of the Environmental Fund (AFM).

“Through the new PNRR agreed with the European Commission, we have introduced a new chapter REpowerEU, where we have a new funding of 1.4 billion euros, which will be implemented from this year, from 2024. Here, the most important allocation for people, for citizens, for households, where we have 1.2 billion euros for what is meant by photovoltaic panels and batteries, vouchers for this type of investment, on the one hand, and on the other hand for the energy efficiency of individual households, houses,” Cachiu told Digi24 two days ago.

The value of the voucher on the panel will be a maximum of 25,000 lei, corresponding to the equivalent of 5 kV power. Another voucher for 25,000 lei will be given for the battery.

The program will complement the program run by the AFM, “Casa Verde Fotovoltaice”.

“Investments in PV panels and batteries go hand in hand, so in practice it’s not just for the panels or just for storage, but for the people who have to ensure their energy sufficiency,” Cachiu also said.

“Attention, this is not a program for consumers, so those who will benefit from these vouchers will produce for their own consumption, and not be producers,” Cachiu emphasized.

However, according to the Law on Energy, a prosumer is “a final consumer who (…) produces electricity from renewable sources for own consumption, whose specific activity is not the production of electricity.”

Cachiu also said the money would not be given on a first-come, first-served basis, but priority would be given to those falling into the energy poverty category.

The schedule is still late. The applicant’s directory was supposed to be published in the fall of last year, and the acceptance of projects was supposed to start in January, as HotNews wrote about in early October.

According to the document posted on the MIPE website, the project competition will be announced only in the second quarter of this year.

Beneficiaries will only apply, and city halls and district councils will take care of the bureaucracy and accounting

The minister is also wrong when he refers to the “Energy-efficient house” program, which, according to him, is for the first time addressed to houses:

“Until now, investments in energy efficiency were usually made in condominiums and multi-apartment buildings, which are well-known investments of city halls. This time we will focus on individual households.”

Actually, the “Energy-efficient building” program for individual houses has existed in ASM for several years.

Under a new program announced by Câciu, people will receive vouchers worth up to 76,500 lei for energy-efficient work at home, such as thermal insulation.

“Firstly, an energy audit is carried out and the efficiency gains are demonstrated through this investment.”

“We want to work closely with county councils and city halls so that the money reaches citizens very quickly. It will be so simplified that a citizen will only submit an application to the town hall or district council. The rest, everything that means bureaucracy, including finding a company that establishes all accounting elements, will be handled by the Council or the City Hall,” the minister said.

In January, a regulatory act will be launched to start the program, and at the end of February, its implementation will begin. The goal is to have 60% of the program ready this year.

About 60,000 households were affected, Cachiu said.

Read also Prosumers can get 25,000 lei vouchers for electricity batteries from photovoltaic panels

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