New energy-eficiency program offers CZK 1.4bn

Prague, Nov 27 (CTK) - The Czech state will earmark 1.4 billion crowns for the first stage of the New Green Savings project aimed to support family houses' insulation, Environment Minister Tomas Chalupa (Civic Democrats, ODS) said yesterday.

He said the programme should create 70,000 new jobs and support energy-efficient housing.

The works to be started as from January 1,2013 will be accepted in the programme, Chalupa said.

He added that new applications for subsidies to the reconstruction of houses will start to be accepted as from August.

The programme will continue until 2020.

Prime Minister Petr Necas (ODS) said then government will finance the subsidies with money gained from auctions of carbon credits for which the state expects to receive 28 billion crowns. Another ten billion are to come from the European Union.

Necas said house insulation is a better economic stimulus than massive support to photovoltaic energy generation.

The reconstruction of homes is also environment-friendly.

The owners of family houses will form a bigger part of the subsidy addresses while the reconstruction of public buildings will constitute 30 percent.

The Environment Ministry's draft proposes that the subsidy depend on the volume of energy saved.

The programme replaces the original Green Savings declared in 2009 with subsidies totalling more than 20 billion crowns.

($°=19.507 crowns)