Focus Incentives and Funds

16.05.2012

Austria – Incentive programme for Solar Water Heating

On 17 April Austria started its first federal incentive programme for solar water heating in the residential sector, the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund now supports new private solar thermal installations with 400 Euro per system if the collector area is 5 m2 or more until 31 December 2012.

Until now the Climate and Energy Fund had mainly funded projects in the areas of mobility, photovoltaic and research but now they want to do something about heating also because 2011 was not a good year for the sector. An estimate of Austria Solar members, which represent 80% of the market, shows numbers have fallen 16% compared to 2010.

The new 2012 programme also includes 5 million euro to replace oil boilers. Everyone changing his oil boiler to a pellet or wood chip one can now receive a 1.000 euro subsidy for it. The funds are not granted for installations in newly built homes or gas boiler replacements, the focus is on oil heating.

These incentives can be combined with state and community subsidies.