State-backed renovations to upgrade more than 150 apartment buildings
State support will fund renovations to154 apartment buildings, improving living conditions for over 3,200 households nationwide, but no funding is secured for future rounds.
The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) has issued decisions to all apartment associations that applied in last year's reconstruction grant round, which totaled €80 million in support.
This time, funding wasn't first-come, first-served. Applications were ranked nationwide by energy use, with priority going to the least energy-efficient buildings.
"The higher the energy use per square meter, the better the chances," said Tanel Vain, head of apartment building services at EIS. Of the more than 520 applications submitted, a total of 154 associations received support.
The biggest share went to Lääne-Viru County, where 27 of 91 applications, or about 30 percent, were approved, totaling €14 million.
Not everyone was satisfied with the criteria, however.
Kairi Raudberg, representing several associations in Kunda, applied for support for three buildings but none qualified. "This doesn't ensure equal treatment," she said.
Two of her buildings use hybrid heating, combining electricity and wood. "No one can say exactly how much firewood they used over three years," she added, making comparisons difficult.
In Harju County, 19 of 119 applications, or 16 percent, were approved, while Tartu and Viljandi each saw 20 projects funded. Elsewhere, fewer applications meant approval rates of 50–60 percent.
"The outcome depended on building condition and energy efficiency, and projects also competed in various size categories," said Ivo Jaanisoo, deputy secretary general at the Ministry of Climate.
Lofty renovation goals
"A significant share also went outside Harju and Tartu counties," he said, highlighting that funding reached beyond Estonia's major population hubs.
Estonia aims to renovate its housing stock by 2050. So far, however, only about 10 percent of its apartment buildings have been upgraded. A long-term plan is in the works, but current funds are exhausted.
"We plan to seek financing from the next EU structural funds budget as well as other sources," Jaanisoo said, adding that he hopes stable funding for the renovation measure will follow in the future.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
