“Clean Air” to Return After Renovation. What Changes in the New Version of the Program?
At the end of November, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) suspended the acceptance of new applications for grants from the Clean Air program. It was announced that the program would be modernized - in order to prevent abuses that occurred during its implementation in previous years. The Fund pointed to phenomena such as:
- 100 percent subsidy (i.e. the level intended for the poorest) awarded to a person who had several houses;
- dishonest contractors overcharging for services and materials (e.g. doors for PLN 40,000);
- instead of comprehensive thermal modernization – replacing two windows in an uninsulated house;
- enforcing powers of attorney by intermediaries and contractors, under which they received advances on their account; when a company disappeared from the market, the obligation to return the subsidy fell on the unwitting beneficiary.
People entering the official website of "Clean Air" are currently greeted with a message about the "renovation" of the program. "From November 28, 2024 to March 31, 2025, there is a break in accepting only new applications for funding in the "Clean Air" program, with the exception of applications for funding from beneficiaries affected by the effects of the flood in September 2024 in the following voivodeships: Lower Silesia, Lubuskie, Opole, Silesia. All applications submitted so far are being considered, and the payment of subsidies continues uninterrupted," we read.
Magdalena Skłodowska, spokeswoman for the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, confirmed in an interview with Interia Biznes a few days ago that the March 31 deadline for announcing new rules for the program and resuming the acceptance of new applications will be met. "We keep giving the date of March 31 and it is still valid," she said.
The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management announces that the new version of “Clean Air” will include solutions that have not been available before. These include:
- the obligation to pay the advance payment to the account of the beneficiary, not the contractor (i.e. the owner of the property, not the company carrying out the modernisation);
- subsidy limits for individual cost categories;
- a subsidy for the truly poorest, i.e. additional conditions for "entry" to the highest level of funding;
- no more transferring a building "to a grandchild" - the beneficiary will have to prove ownership or co-ownership of the building/premises for a specified period before submitting an application for funding; the draft amendment includes a provision that the requirement of a minimum period of property ownership will not apply in the event of acquisition through inheritance of a residential building or a separate premises within it;
- introducing a requirement to achieve a specific energy standard as a result of the investment;
- increasing the number of on-site inspections ("we will keep an eye on companies that we catch engaging in unauthorised activity" - we read in the NFOŚiGW press release).
A major change in the program is to be the appearance of operators who are to support households in carrying out the investment - from its planning to settlement. "Operators in the "Clean Air" program will support beneficiaries of the highest and increased level of funding. Their activity will consist of assistance in determining the scope of the investment, submitting an application for funding, monitoring the implementation of the investment in accordance with the rules of the program and correct settlement of the subsidy. We assume that the function of operators will be performed first by the interested municipalities, and other operators will be selected in a supplementary recruitment process," explained Robert Gajda, deputy president of the board of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Ultimately, the Fund expects that applying for pre-financing and for top-level funding after the transitional period will only be possible through programme operators.
Draft amendments to the "Clean Air" program. New income thresholds at three levels of financingIn December 2024, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management published a draft of changes to “Clean Air,” to which comments could be submitted. The draft included, among other things, new income thresholds for individual financing levels:
- Basic level of funding (at 50% of costs) – the beneficiary’s annual income cannot exceed PLN 150,000.
- Increased level of funding (at 70%) – monthly income per household member does not exceed: PLN 2,250 in a multi-person household; PLN 3,150 in a single-person household.
- The highest level of funding (100%) - the average monthly income per household member does not exceed: PLN 1,170 in a multi-person household; PLN 1,640 in a single-person household. In the case of the highest level of funding, the property's demand for usable energy must be above 150 kWh/m2/year.
In Annex No. 2 to the draft amendments to “Clean Air”, the maximum amounts of funding for individual elements implemented as part of the modernization were also specified in detail. For example, for an air/water heat pump with an increased energy efficiency class, it will be possible to receive a maximum of:
- PLN 17,600 – at the basic level of funding;
- PLN 24,640 – at an increased level of funding;
- PLN 35,200 – the highest level of funding.
The project also includes proposals for new maximum subsidy amounts: PLN 39,500 (basic level), PLN 55,300 (increased level), PLN 79,000 (highest level). These are lower amounts than those that were in force in 2024.
NOTE – all amounts listed come from the project presented for consultation in December 2024 (consultations ended at the end of December). A few days ago, in an interview with Interia Biznes, the spokeswoman for the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) stated that the detailed solutions for “Clean Air” are still being specified, so at this stage it is not possible to talk about the final rules for granting support.
RP
