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Wallonia reviews its energy-efficiency incentives

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Wallonia’s government has decided to review its system of energy and renovation incentives to encourage residents to make their buildings more energy efficient, the regional ministers of Housing and Energy, Valerie De Bue and Jean-Luc Crucke respectively, announced on Thursday.
The idea is to meet the European goal of improving energy efficiency by at least 27% by 2030, according to the regional government.

Residential and tertiary buildings account for over 20% of Wallonia’s greenhouse gas emissions. This has prompted its ruling majority to simplify the system of allowances, after raising the amounts.

Under the new procedure, an auditor will audit works to be done on houses and draw up a priority list. A single application will then be made to the Walloon administration after which the Region can pay out an “audit allowance” of up to 660 euros. This should reimburse part of the cost of the auditor, who is tasked with calculating the savings on energy, advising the applicant and supporting him/her throughout the process.

The “some 500 auditors” will replace the public assessors working under the current system. They will be accredited “so as to avoid the bottleneck” that the sector is experiencing today, the regional minister said.

Another innovation is that the allowances will now be accessible to the entire population. Previously, households with annual incomes of over 97,000 euros and renters were not eligible for energy and renovation allowances. Those restrictions have now been scrapped.

The decree on the modifications was passed on second reading by Wallonia’s government. It is now before the Council of State and could enter into effect this Spring.

Oscar Schneider

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