"In Serbia, three and a half times more energy is consumed compared to the European average, which is why the state provides support to citizens to replace worn-out woodwork."
This is how the instructions of the Ministry of Energy on subsidies begin energy efficiency, that is, ways for citizens to get part of the money for new doors and windows.
Figures show that out of 2,5 million households in Serbia, even half of the people live in houses or apartments with old windows and doors that do not seal. The state aid program is intended for only 10.000 households per year.
The state offers to cover half of the total cost of replacing the carpentry, which usually amounts to a maximum of 180.000 dinars, depending on the municipality.
Photo: Daria Yakovleva/PixabayIn Serbia, over a million households have dilapidated carpentry
Is the deal worth it?
All these buildings, which are not energy efficient, "throw" outside at least half of the energy that is used in winter for heating or in summer for cooling rooms.
Igor Marković from Belgrade also lived in one of these, who tried to get the state's promised subsidy for new PVC joinery, which local governments have been offering for several years. His plan to replace the windows dragged on for almost two years.
"First, I had to wait six months for a new competition to be announced, and then even longer because I had to choose a contractor who was on their list, and they are overcrowded," Igor told Vreme. "In the end, they turned out to be about 15 to 20 percent more expensive than everyone else. I gave up because I realized that during that time I would be paying a lot more for heating for a year, so it was just a little more expensive for me to change the insulation right away."
It cost him about 2.000 euros in a 60-square-meter apartment. The state, he says, would refund him about 700 euros, because the subsidies do not cover the mosquito nets for which he paid 300 euros.
In one year, Igor saved about 500 euros on electricity with the new carpentry.
"Bare brick"
Although half of the money offered by the state to replace the carpentry seems like a good deal, many citizens are not able to allocate money for the other half.
In Serbia, at least a quarter of people barely make ends meet, and the number of absolutely poor countries is not published.
It is similar with energy poverty. It is estimated that there are between 300.000 and 400.000 individual houses in Serbia that do not have any thermal insulation on their "bare brick" walls. They usually have old wooden windows with single or ordinary double glass that allows the wind to pass through.
Photo: Tham Yuan Yuan/PixabayBare brick without thermal insulation lets in both cold and heat
It's not much better with flats either. Analyzes of the housing stock of the Ministry of Space show that as many as 85 percent of buildings in Serbia do not even meet minimum energy efficiency standards.
In Europe, buildings consume an average of 40 percent of total energy, while in Serbia, that number reaches as much as 60 percent. Average energy consumption for heating in European countries is about 70 kWh/m2 per year. In contrast, in Serbia, the average consumption is almost twice as high - reaching around 150 kWh/m2 per year, according to the analysis.
"The energy transition will be successful only if no one is left out of it, otherwise there will be no reduction in pollution, nor the necessary reduction in the emission of particles harmful to public health, and the gap in society will significantly deepen," reads the introduction of the Analysis.
New competition
In the last quarter of this year, the state plans to announce a new public call for the distribution of subsidies for the energy rehabilitation of houses and apartments, which also includes the replacement of doors and windows. It is part of a five-year project supported by the World Bank and lasting until the end of November 2027. The question is what will happen when this project is finished.
There is some progress, but they are minor compared to the number of "bare brick" units. Namely, in two years only about 22.000 households in 137 local self-government units received grants for energy rehabilitation. The Ministry expects that by the end of 2027, more than 50.000 households will receive subsidies in the five years that the project lasts.
Papers, papers and reporting to municipalities
Subsidies are awarded jointly by the Ministry and local governments. The Ministry first allocates subsidies to municipalities and cities, which are obliged to allocate at least the same amount of money.
When they receive subsidies in the competition of the Ministry, then each local self-government announces public invitations for citizens.
Citizens should also bear in mind that they cannot receive a subsidy if their facility is not legalized and if they do not consume a certain amount of electricity per month.
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