Polish national ‘Warm Flat’ programme for multi-family buildings

In multi-family buildings that have been used for several decades, the consumption of primary non-renewable energy (Epis much higher than in newly constructed ones, which results from technical solutions available at the time the buildings were constructed, not providing efficient thermal insulating capacity. As a result of long lifespan, many existing buildings are in bad technical condition and require complete renovation. The excessive heat loses, caused by, among others, lack of thermal insulation, lack of tightness in the external thermal insulation system or so-called thermal bridges, i.e. places in the walls, ceilings or roof, where the heat is excessively lost, results in increased use of energy for heating the building.

CHART 1. MEDIAN OF THE VALUE OF THE ANNUAL DEMAND OF USABLE PRIMARY ENERGY (EP) INDEX FOR HOUSING BUILDINGS IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING TYPE AND THE COMPLETION YEAR [KWH/(M2 YEAR)]

source: ‘Long-term renovation strategy. Supporting the restoration of the national building stock”. Appendix to the Resolution No. 23/2022 of the Council of Ministers as of February 9, 2022

According to data published by Central Statistical Office (GUS), 39.9% of all multi-family buildings require thermo-modernisation to meet the modern energetic standards, while in case of 9.4% buildings, the thermo-modernisation is being presently conducted or is planned to be conducted in the following years, and in case of 29.9% it is not planned at all. This means that approx. 210 thousand of building are expected to be thermo-modernised. In purpose to improve the energy intensity of multi-family buildings, it is necessary to undertake measures that reduce heat loses and to exchange the outdated heat sources, which will allow to match the power of the new installations and the needs of the modernised building. In Poland, there are programmes co-financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW), which enable to get subsidy for investments related to thermo-modernisation of single-family buildings, such as exchanging of old heating stoves or window frames. As far as now, most of the programmes, such as ‘Clean Air’ and ‘My heat’ were addressed exclusively to owners of single-family houses. This time, NFOŚiGW announced its plans to start a nation-wide programme for multi-family buildings, called ‘Warm Flat’. The programme is to be launched at the first half of 2022 and aims at supporting the replacement of the outdated heat sources and thermo-modernisation of the flats in multi-family buildings in purpose to improve the energy efficiency. Within the ‘Warm Flat’ programme, the high-cost activities will be supported, such as:

• dismantling the individual, ineffective heat sources powered by solid fuels (i.e. old carbon stoves) in flats and installation of gas boilers, electric heating, heat pumps or connecting flats to common effective heat source, such as district heating network;
• constructing new facilities of central heating and warm utility water;
• exchanging the door and window framing;
• installation of the effective mechanical ventilation devices.

Under the programme, the subsidy for design documentation will also be available. The initial assumptions of the programme provide two subsidy levels: the first (basic) is intended for exchange of the stove and will amount to max. PLN 13 000, while the second (extended) will include thermo-modernisation and the maximum contribution will not exceed PLN 26 000. The subsidy amounts are calculated for one housing unit in a multi-family building. However, the exact amounts will be known after the programme is started, as it will depend on the final NFOŚiGW’s budget dedicated to the programme. At the first stage, subsidies will be available for owners of flats in multi-family buildings. The next stage is assumed to support housing communities in scope of thermo-modernisation.

The co-financed thermo-modernisation activities are aimed at decrease in value of non-renewable energy (EP) index and therefore – improvement in heating standard of the building. Research shows that the average EP ratio for the building before the thermo-modernisation was equal to 226.49 kWh/(m2 year) and after the thermo-modernisation is diminished by 37.3%, to the level of 142.1 kWh/(m2 year).

TABLE 1. THE AVERAGE VALUES OF THE EP RATIOS IN THERMO-MODERNIZED BUILDINGS IN 2010 – 2016 BEFORE AND AFTER THE THERMO-MODERNISATION AND ACHIEVED SAVING

source: Development of the methodology and conduction of a survey of the scale of thermo-modernisation of multi-family buildings in purpose to improve the energy intensity, and assessment of needs and planned actions in that scope, Central Statistical Office

The additional benefit of the thermo-modernisation will be decrease in heating costs (by 15.87%) and savings on energy used for providing the warm utility water (by 3.85%).

CHART 2. CHANGES IN OPERATING COSTS OF THE BUILDINGS RELATED TO ENERGY USE

source: Central Statistical Office

In 2021, a pilot project ‘Warm Flat’ was started by NFOŚiGW and it was intended to elaborate its final shape and to assess the financial needs for subsidized investments. The pilot project was launched in three locations:

• in the Voivodeship of Lower Silesia, with the budget amounting to PLN 10 million;
• in the Voivodeship of Pomerania, with the budget amounting to PLN 20 million;
• in Pszczyna, a town in Silesian voyvodeship, with the budget amounting to PLN 6 million.

The greatest interest was observed in Pomeranian voyvodeship – only until the end of November, 792 applications were submitted there for the total amount of PLN 11 380 746. In Lower Silesia voyvodeship, there were 409 applications for the total amount of PLN 8 184 915, while in the most polluted municipality in Poland, which is Pszczyna, there were only 19 applications for subsidies amounting in total for PLN 168 636. At present, the submitted applications are being assessed and pilot project’s experiences will constitute the basis for the detailed nation-wide programme. The ‘Warm Flat’ programme will be executed by the NFOŚiGW with participation of the regional Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management, which are planned to be responsible for admissions of particular municipalities. Municipalities, after receiving the subsidy, will collect the applications from the citizens.

Irena Kruczek-Sidło
AMRON System Coordinator