Grant for upgrading heaters for small residences

The main purpose of the grant is to improve the air quality of densely populated areas. Upgrading old heating systems will also contribute to improved fire safety and energy efficiency.

The grant is intended for small residential buildings in densely populated areas whose main use is defined in the construction register as a detached, terraced or semi-detached house or a two-apartment residential building. It is also intended for terraced housing, two-apartment residential housing or semi-detached housing if they have an autonomous heating system.

Grant administrators answer calls from 13:00–16:00 Monday to Friday. If you wish to contact us outside these hours, please call us at +372 627 9700.

The application rounds are opened according to the type of grant being applied for.

During the second application round, grants are awarded for the  reconstruction of an old furnace or the installation of a new one, the installation or renovation of a modular chimney as part of furnace renovation or construction works and the installation of a water-to-air heat pump, geothermal heat pump or pellet/wood boiler if the current heating device is replaced or removed or if the heating device has been renovated during the first application round. You can also apply for a grant for the installation of radiators or underfloor heating and connecting your residence to district heating. This grant can be applied for if you are renovating your heating device or planning to join district heating.     

In the first application round, grants were awarded for the purchase, installation or reconstruction of a furnace, the purchase and installation of modular chimneys during furnace renovation or construction works, chimney renovation works and connecting to district heating. The maximum combined grant amount for the two application rounds is 10,000 euros.

The second application round was opened on 07.08.2024 at 09:00 and closed 11.09.2024 at 17:00. The budget for this application round is 15.9 million euros. We assess every application submitted during this period with no exceptions. An application submitted on the very first day does not give any kind of advantage in the assessment – applications are ranked only on the basis of taxable income. Works cannot be commenced and the prepayment cannot be made before your application has been approved.

Basic information for applicants

• The applications are prepared and submitted through the e-grant environment managed by the Estonian State Shared Service Centre.
• After logging into the e-grant environment, select „Väikeelamute kütteseadmete uuendamise toetus II voor“ (grant for upgrading the heater of small residential buildings, second application round).
• You can find helpful video materials for filling in the application here.
• You can find a video introduction to using the e-grant environment here.
• You can find the informational material to assist with filling out the payment application here.
• We strongly recommend reading the frequently asked questions.
• If you have any further questions, please contact us at [email protected].

The processing deadline for applications is up to 60 working days from the closure of the application round. The processing deadline for the disbursement request is up to 80 working days from the submission of the disbursement request.

You can obtain your taxation data certificate to have it ready before the application round opens. The instructions for this can be found on our FAQ page.

Main conditions

• The activities supported by the grant must be completed within 12 months after the decision on the application is made. Before this work may not be started, including the demolition of the existing heating device (furnace).
• To qualify for the grant, the small residential building must have been built on a legal basis, put into use before 1 January 2010 and entered into the building Register.
• The type of heat supply of the building or part of it must be indicated in the building register as block or local heating and the type of energy source must be solid fuel.
• To qualify for the grant, a terraced or semi-detached house or a two-apartment residential building must have an autonomous heating system. If a terraced house, a two-apartment house or a semi-detached house shares a common heating system, the co-owners must apply for the grant together.
• The small residential building must be located in the following area:
  In Tallinn: Pirita, Nõmme, Kesklinn, Kristiine, Põhja-Tallinn, Haabersti.
  Tartu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Kuressaare, Keila, Võru, Türi, Saue, Paide, Tapa, Kärdla, Elva, Haapsalu, Karksi-Nuia, Kilingi-Nõmme, Pärnu, Jõhvi, Kiviõli, Sillamäe, Jõgeva, Põltsamaa, Valga, Otepää, Tõrva. For the purpose of this grant, these areas are defined by city, not municipality, boundaries.
• All costs must be justified, directly related to the project and properly documented. Value added tax is an eligible cost.
• Costs are certified and reimbursed only on the basis of the prices fixed in the grant rate, either as a unit price or flat-rate payment.
• All activities eligible for a grant must conform to existing legislation. If the activities require a construction notice or permit, it must be obtained before they are started. In case of restrictions relating to heritage protection, please contact the National Heritage Board. The designer and constructor must be an undertaking which meets the requirements of Articles 21 to 25 of the Building Code.
• If the grant is applied for the installation of an air-to-water or ground source heat pump or pellet or wood boiler, (in the second application round), the existing solid fuel heater (furnace) must be permanently removed or upgraded, unless otherwise prohibited by legislation. Rather than choosing removal, we advise considering whether it is feasible to reconstruct the furnace to meet the standards. If a residential building has more than one solid fuel heater, this requirement applies to only one of the heaters.

Grant rate and maximum grant amount

The maximum combined grant amount for the two application rounds per small residential building is 10,000 euros.

• The grant rate is 70% in the following cities:
  Ida-Viru County: Jõhvi, Kiviõli, Sillamäe
  Jõgeva County: Jõgeva, Põltsamaa
  Valga County: Valga, Otepää, Tõrva

• The grant rate is 50% in the following cities and districts of Tallinn:
  In Tallinn: Pirita, Nõmme, Kesklinn, Kristiine, Põhja-Tallinn, Haabersti
  Tartu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Kuressaare, Keila, Võru, Türi, Saue, Paide, Tapa, Kärdla, Elva, Haapsalu, Karksi-Nuia, Kilingi-Nõmme, Pärnu.

• The total unit cost is:
  1) 9600 euros per residential building for the purchase and installation of an air-to-water heat pump;
  2) 14,100 euros per residential building for the purchase and installation of a ground source heat pump;
  3) 8900 euros per residential building for the purchase and installation of a pellet or wood boiler;
  4) 6400 euros per residential building for the purchase, installation or construction of a stove;
  5) 640 euros per radiator for the purchase and installation of a radiator;
  6) 30 euros per square metre of underfloor heating for the construction and installation of underfloor heating;
  7) 250 euros per metre for the purchase and installation of a modular chimney and 100 euros per metre for the purchase and installation of a chimney liner.
• The amount of the grant as a flat-rate payment for connection to district heating shall be determined per residential building on the basis of the budget for the total cost of connecting to district heating, piping and the construction of the substation, taking into account the proportion of the grant rate as the maximum rate.
• The maximum grant amount for one small residential building is 10 000 euros.
  
  Grant rates

Activities covered by the grant

In the second application round, you can apply for grants for the following activities:

1. the purchase and installation of an air-to-water heat pump. The seasonal space heating energy efficiency class of the heat pump must be at least A++. When purchasing and installing the heating system, the seller and the installer must provide a manufacturer’s warranty of at least two years on all the components and installation work. When installing an air-to-water heat pump, the existing furnace must be reconstructed to comply with regulatory standards, replaced with a new furnace or demolished;

2. the purchase and installation of a ground source heat pump. The seasonal space heating energy efficiency class of the heat pump must be at least A++. When purchasing and installing the heating system, the seller and the installer must provide a manufacturer’s warranty of at least two years on all the components and installation work. When installing a ground source heat pump, the existing furnace must be reconstructed to comply with regulatory standards, replaced with a new furnace or demolished;

3. the purchase and installation of a pellet or wood boiler. The energy efficiency class of a new solid fuel boiler or heating device must be at least A+. Solid fuel local space heaters must comply with Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and the Council. When purchasing and installing a heater, the seller and the installer must provide a manufacturer’s warranty of at least two years on all the components and installation work. When installing a boiler, the existing heating device must be reconstructed to comply with regulatory standards, replaced with a new heating device or demolished;

4. the purchase of a stove with installation and construction when upgrading a heater. Chimney systems, modular stoves and fireplaces and craft stoves must comply with the requirements of EVS-EN-15544 and EVS 812-3 or any other equivalent standard and must have been built by a potter with the appropriate professional certification. When purchasing and installing a heater, the seller and the installer must provide a manufacturer’s warranty of at least two years on all the components and installation work;

5. the purchase and installation of radiators, including pipework and fittings when installing a new heater or connecting to district heating. When installing or renovating a central heating system, the system must be temperature-controlled based on the room temperature; thermostats must be installed to radiators and underfloor heating contours in living rooms and bedrooms;

6. the purchase and installation of underfloor heating when updating a heater or connecting to district heating. When installing or renovating a central heating system, the system must be temperature-controlled based on the room temperature; thermostats must be installed to radiators and underfloor heating contours in living rooms and bedrooms;

7. the purchase and installation of a modular chimney or the construction of a new chimney system or the renovation of an existing chimney system, including the installation of a chimney liner, in the case of constructing a solid fuel boiler, modular or fireplace stove or a handmade stove. A solid fuel heating system must comply with the requirements of EVS-EN-15544 and EVS 812-3 or any other equivalent standard;

8. the construction of the pipeline and the excavation works necessary for connection to the district heating network as well as the construction of a substation and connection fees. Eligible costs for connection to the district heating network include excavation works, laying of pipelines, connection to the district heating network and connection fees according to the grant rate. The installation of radiators and underfloor heating is also covered by the grant.

In the first application round, grants were awarded only for the following activities:

1. purchasing and installing a furnace (modular furnace, heat-retaining fireplace furnace, handmade furnace) or reconstructing an existing furnace to comply with regulatory standards. Rather than choosing removal, we advise considering whether it is feasible to reconstruct the furnace to meet the standards. If the demolishment of an existing furnace is not permitted by legal acts (including restrictions relating to heritage protection), it may be preserved and the relevant documents must be submitted. If there are restrictions relating to heritage protection, please contact the National Heritage Board;
2. when purchasing, installing, or constructing a furnace, purchasing and installing a modular chimney and chimney liner installation;
3. connection to the district heating network, including the necessary pipeline installation and excavations, construction of a heat node and associated connection fees. This encompasses the purchase of radiators, pipelines and reinforcements with installation as well as the purchase and installation of underfloor heating.

Non-reimbursable costs

• Costs related to electricity and low-voltage systems, excluding the cost of electricity and low-voltage systems directly linked to the supporting activities.
• Costs related to water and sewerage systems, including the installation of hot water pipes inside the house.
• Costs related to property fences, parking spaces, outdoor lighting and landscaping, excluding soil restoration associated with the installation of heat pump ground collector and a district heating network.
• Costs related to interior finishes due to the installation of underfloor heating, radiators and chimneys.
• Unjustified costs not directly related to the project.
• Costs related to the demolition of an existing heating device.

Main requirements for applicants and beneficiaries

• The grant applicant must be a natural person who is the owner of a residential building or has the right of superficies or right of superficies in apartments.
• In the case of jointly owned or co-owned real estate, apartment ownership or right of superficies, the applicant must be one of the natural person joint owners authorised to represent all other natural person joint owners. It is not necessary to provide the authorisation of the other joint or co-owners in the case of terraced and semi-detached houses or two-apartment residential buildings.
• If a small residential building is co-owned by a natural person and a legal person, the natural person can apply for a grant in proportion to the real estate owned by them.
• An application may not by submitted by an applicant who, within the last five years, has violated the terms and conditions of a contract concluded with EIS or obligations arising from an administrative act issued by EIS, after which a decision has been made to recover at least a part of the grant.
• The beneficiary of the grant must ensure that the residential building on which the grant is based is used as a residential building for at least five years after the final payment of the project.

Avoidance of conflict of interest

The grant recipient is obligated to avoid conflicts of interest in the implementation of supported activities. A conflict of interest is considered any situation where the grant recipient or a person acting on their behalf, who is involved in preparing or managing the procurement process for supported activities or who may otherwise influence the outcome of the procurement process, has financial, economic, or other personal interests that could compromise their impartiality and independence.

• Frequently asked questions

• Introductory informational material about the E-grant platform

View all ()