Status: 04/20/2022 4:33 p.m
From today on there were again state subsidies from the KfW for energy-efficient new buildings – but they were already completely exhausted by midday. The housing industry speaks of a fiasco.
Today started reissue the funding for energy-efficient new buildings by the KfW – and was immediately stopped again. As the KfW announced, the funding has already been exhausted and new applications will no longer be considered. This means that applications for state funding for the Efficiency house level 40 (EH 40) and EH40 Plus not possible anymore.
As announced by KfW, loans that have already been approved are not affected by the stop: “We will pay out your loan as soon as your financing partner requests the loan from us,” says the state development bank on its website. The funds are reserved according to the promise.
Only EH-40 standard with quality seal for sustainable building
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck had already made it clear in advance that the budget of one billion euros could be exhausted very quickly. A spokeswoman for the Green politician spoke today of a big run. Because in January, the Federal Ministry of Economics surprisingly stopped the new building subsidy according to the EH55 efficiency standard, the subsidy for new buildings according to the EH40 standard and energetic renovations of buildings. The ministry said the pot of one billion euros would not be increased.
Tomorrow the funding program for the efficiency house level 40 with sustainability class will start, which is to be continued until the end of the year: The program should only allow new construction funding in combination with the quality seal for sustainable building (QNG). The federal government has not yet given a total of the funding.
Realignment for sustainable building
The seal of quality for sustainable buildings has been an optional part of federal funding for efficient buildings since mid-2021. The criteria are set by the federal government and are awarded by independent auditors.
It is now mandatory in order to be able to apply for new construction funding from KfW. With this, the Federal Government wants to send a signal for the reorientation towards sustainable building. If you want to apply for the subsidy, you need proof from an energy efficiency expert that a planned building meets all the requirements for the subsidy.
Criticism from the top association
The housing industry responded with clear criticism of the renewed KfW funding freeze. Axel Gedaschko, President of the Central Association of the Housing Industry GdW, spoke of a “second fiasco with announcement”. It was perfectly clear that the planned one billion euros would never be enough in view of the huge need.
“Now the fundamentally necessary support for climate-friendly, affordable construction has come to a standstill again within hours,” said Gedaschko. “Planning security and reliability are more important than ever in these times of uncertainty. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case.”
The government must urgently and as quickly as possible use permanent and reliable funding for climate-friendly, affordable housing. “Construction costs continue to rise to dizzying heights, materials are becoming increasingly scarce and interest rates are rising.” Under the current conditions, affordable, climate-friendly construction is simply impossible.
“Debacle with Announcement”
The Federal Association of Free Real Estate and Housing Companies (BFW) spoke of a “debacle with announcement”. “Those who want to build efficiently are being put off, and the industry is once again being left in the dark. And that’s at a time when the need for housing is greater than ever,” criticized BFW President Andreas Ibel.
NRW Building Minister Ina Scharrenbach (CDU) said: “It’s easy to lose. After just a few hours, the new building subsidy was stopped again. Another slap in the face for all home builders.” This “subsidy chaos” is enormously damaging to housing construction and energy efficiency.