Through these promotional programmes launched by its national and regional governments, Austria is aiming to improve the quality of its housing. The EIB loan will be used to co-finance refurbishment schemes that will enhance the energy efficiency of residential and public buildings and also new housing with an energy efficiency performance substantially above the required minimum level in Austria. In this way, the country is seeking to increase the proportion of buildings that consume almost no energy and are supplied from renewable energy sources. These buildings are also referred to as “nearly zero energy buildings” (NZEB). Austria will thus comply with the EU directive requiring that all new buildings in the EU meet NZEB standards by 2021.

For public buildings, this requirement already comes into effect in 2019. The EIB loan will be available for projects leading to documented energy savings and or increased use of renewable energies. These may include, for example, improvements to building shells or heating systems. Projects that use renewable energies for heating and electricity are also eligible. Both private and public sector projects may benefit from the funds.

Acoording to EIB, an investment of 1 billion euros in thermal building measures creates around 12,000 additional jobs. In comparison, an equivalent investment in private consumption generates around 4,000 jobs and in exports around 6,000 jobs.

Source: www.ansa.it