GRANT SCHEME FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE USE OF RES AND ENERGY SAVINGS IN DWELLINGS 2022-2023 - CATEGORY 3Β

• For CATEGORY 3B, a "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" is initially submitted for inclusion in the Scheme. Interested parties are encouraged to submit the "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" BEFORE the implementation of the investment in order to be officially informed whether they fall under the beneficiaries of CATEGORY 3B.

• THE “PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION” IS SUBMITTED BY THE PERSON WHO WILL MAKE (PAY FOR) THE INVESTMENT IN WHOSE NAME THE ELECTRICITY BILL IS ISSUED (THE “APPLICANT”). The Applicant should, either himself or another person with whom he or she is first-degree relative and who is resident in the same household, be a vulnerable consumer of electricity For the purposes of this Scheme, first-degree relative includes: parents, grandparents, children, spouse, brother/sister, father/mother-in-law, son/daughter-in-law.

• Vulnerable electricity consumers are laid down in the relevant Decree issued by the Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry (No. 289/2015 - available in Greek), as amended or replaced. In summary, vulnerable electricity consumers include the following:
  • Beneficiaries of the Guaranteed Minimum Income,
  • Beneficiaries of the Public Assistance from the Social Welfare Services,
  • Beneficiaries of the Severe Motor Disability Allowance Scheme,
  • the beneficiaries of the allowance for Pensioners with low incomes, provided that they have reached the age of 70 and do not live with another person who has not yet reached the age of 70,
  • Beneficiaries of the Care Allowance Scheme for Paraplegic Persons,
  • Beneficiaries of the Care Allowance Scheme for Quadriplegic Persons,
  • Beneficiaries of the Special Allowance for Blind Persons,
  • A family of three or more children receiving Child Benefit and an annual gross household income of up to EUR 51.258. The income criterion of EUR 51.258 is increased in steps of EUR 5.126 for each additional child over four.

• In case a Pre-Approval is initiated, the beneficiaries must submit an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING" within nine (9) months, which is submitted after the completion of the investment and the interconnection of the Photovoltaic System with the grid. Therefore, within the period of nine (9) months, the beneficiaries must -at their own risk- arrange for the timely installation/interconnection of the system and the submission of an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING". The Pre-Approval is automatically revoked after the expiration of the period of nine (9) months if the beneficiary does not submit an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING".

• Inclusion in CATEGORY 3B cannot be approved, in case that, for the same vulnerable electricity consumer an increased sponsorship has already been granted during the last ten (10) years for the installation of a Photovoltaic System under previous or other Grant Schemes, either of the RES and Energy Conservation Fund or the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry.

• Beneficiaries of CATEGORY 3B who had received a Pre-approval based on the respective Grant Scheme of 2021, have the opportunity to submit a new "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" under this Grant Scheme, provided that they still meet the eligibility criteria of CATEGORY 3B and have not submitted an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING" based on the Pre-Approval given to them. It is understood that beneficiaries of CATEGORY 3B who had received Pre-approval under the 2021 Grant Scheme and had proceeded with the implementation of the investment and the submission of an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING", cannot apply for this Scheme.

• Only one "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" can be submitted by each beneficiary and/or for each residence and/or for each PV system.

• The dwelling on which the investment was made should be legally used as a residence and the electricity bill of the house should relate to house tariffs. Facilities on premises that are not legally used as residences may not be subsidized.

• The residences should not be rented by a legal entity and should not be used in the context of economic activity for a period of at least five (5) years from the date of submission of the application. It is clarified that houses rented from natural persons to natural persons are eligible.

• Value Added Tax (VAT) is not an eligible expense.

• At the date of submission of the "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING", the Photovoltaic System must be interconnected with the grid and put into full operation.

• The installed power of the Photovoltaic System will be calculated on the basis of the nominal power of the panels indicated in the invoice, which must be in accordance with that stated in the data maintained by the Distribution System Operator (EAC).

• For CATEGORY 3B, applicants have the option to request that the sponsorship be paid directly to the Photovoltaic System installer to repay the purchase invoices (see paragraph 5.1 (vi) of the Grant Scheme).

• See paragraph 16 of the Grant Scheme (GR) regarding the possibility of implementing the investment through an Energy Service Company (ESCo).

REGARDING THE RETROACTIVITY OF THE SCHEME:

• The Scheme has retroactive effect to ensure the smooth continuation of the previous Scheme of 2021 (see relevant Announcement 20/10/21). Investments made after 01/08/2021 are therefore eligible. Investments made before 01/08/2021 are not eligible.

  • as the date of investment, is considered the date of issuance of the Certificate of Suitability of the electrical installation of the photovoltaic (PV) system by the Distribution System Operator (EAC).
  • It is noted that, regardless of the retrospectiveness of this Grant Scheme, investments made before 20/12/2021, receive the grant amount provided in the respective Grant Scheme of 2021. 

• Indicative average time for the assessment of “PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION”: 1 month.
• Indicative average time for the assessment of “APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING”: 4 months.

This information is provided non-binding on the basis of current conditions and provided that the application is submitted in full and no problems/deficiencies will be detected.

• In order to facilitate a part of vulnerable electricity consumers and, in particular, people with disabilities, both during the investigation of their participation in the Scheme and when submitting an application, free support from the Cyprus Energy Agency (CEA) has been ensured. CEA will cooperate with the related associations and organizations representing the disabled in Cyprus.

• This service is provided with the support of the EU Recovery and Resilience Mechanism under the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan and does not burden the beneficiaries.

• In particular, the CEA will provide the following support to people with disabilities:
  • visit to the interested households throughout Cyprus,
  • installation of permanent metering smart equipment in order to document the energy savings to and by the beneficiaries either from mild or large-scale interventions to improve energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources,
  • on-site recording of the current condition of the building by specialized CEA staff, advice on improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources and information on available Grant Schemes and their specific requirements,
  • highlighting the individual solutions to improve energy efficiency and utilization of renewable energy sources in the household,
  • preparing a report with tips for improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources as well as assessing the expected result, 
  • support in submitting and managing their applications under this Grants Scheme,
  • constant communication with the beneficiaries and information on progress regarding the implementation of interventions for energy upgrading and use of renewable energy sources in their households.

• It is noted that the above support of the disabled from the Cyprus Energy Agency will be offered for a limited number of 300 applications/households.

• Interested individuals can contact the Cyprus Energy Agency at: EnergyPovertyTA@cea.org.cy 
  IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THE SERVICE IS OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY TO DISABLED PEOPLE AND NOT TO ALL VULNERABLE CONSUMERS COVERED BY THE GRANT SCHEME.

Please note that in order to be able to submit a "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION", you must create an account in the system (in case you do not already have one). When creating an account you will be asked to attach in electronic form (scan), a copy of the identification card as follows:

• For citizens with Cypriot Citizenship: Copy of identity card
• For EU citizens: Certificate of registration of a Union citizen and his or her family members who are also Union citizens
• For third-country nationals: Alien Registration Card (ARC)

When submitting a "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" you will be asked to attach the following documents in electronic form (scan):

1. A recent electricity bill of the residence where the photovoltaic system has been installed in the name of the applicant.

IF THE APPLICANT IS A DIFFERENT PERSON FROM THE VULNERABLE ELECTRICITY CONSUMER, you will be asked to additionally attach the following:  

1. A copy of the identification document of the vulnerable electricity consumer (one of the three documents referred above), and
2. Appropriate evidence to prove the first-degree relative relationship between the Applicant and the vulnerable electricity consumer (e.g. birth/marriage certificate, etc.). 

IN THE EVENT THAT THE VULNERABLE CONSUMER OF ELECTRICITY IS A BENEFICIARY OF THE ALLOWANCE FOR PENSIONERS WITH LOW INCOMES WHO HAS REACHED THE AGE OF 70, you will be asked to additionally attach the following:

1. a certificate from the local authority should also be submitted concerned that he does not live with another person who has not reached the age of 70 (you may find a sample of such certificate here - available in Greek).

When submitting an "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING" you will be asked to attach the following documents in electronic form (scan):

1. A statement from your electricity supplier (EAC), indicating the date of first connection of the premises (which should be before 01.01.2017) (the statement is provided by the EAC - it is clarified that this is a different document from the electricity bill).
   Alternatively, applicants can submit official documents proving that the application for a building permit and/or urban planning permit was submitted before 01.01.2017 (e.g. a copy of the Building Permit and/or the Planning Permit and/or applications for their issuance).
2. Detailed Invoices relating to the PV installation, which should be issued in the name of the applicant:
   • see par. 15 of the Grant Scheme (GR) regarding the mandatory content and the requirements that the Invoices must meet
   • see par. 16 of the Grant Scheme (GR) regarding the implementation of investments through an Energy Service Company (ESCo).
3. The Certificate of Suitability of the photovoltaic (PV) system, which must have been issued after 01/08/2021 inclusive.

Additional Supporting Document in cases where the connection of the PV System was made by the method of VIRTUAL NET-METERING:

1. In cases where the installation of the PV System was done by the method of virtual net-metering, a document specified by the Management Committee of the RES and Energy Conservation Fund must also be submitted, on the basis of which it is proved that the energy produced by the installed PV system is offset against the electricity imported from the network of the house for which an application is submitted.

In case of "Approval with Reservation", the applicant will be asked to send by registered mail the following supporting documents in order to proceed with the process of payment of the grant:

(PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED WITH THE DISPATCH OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS IF YOU ARE NOT OFFICIALLY INFORMED BEFOREHAND THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN "APPROVAL WITH RESERVATION")

1. The "Applicant Declaration Form", which will be sent through the electronic system to the applicant and will include – among others – all the basic information that the applicant himself/herself stated during the electronic submission of his/her application. The Declaration must bear the signature of the applicant and of the vulnerable electricity consumer (in case he/she is a different person).
2. Completed and signed the FIMAS Authorization, which must necessarily be accompanied by: 
3. A copy of part of the bank statement or a certificate from the Bank, showing the IBAN number of the account, in order to confirm the information declared in the FIMAS Authorization.

IF the applicant requests that the grant be paid directly to the Photovoltaic System installer to repay the purchase invoices, the following must also be attached:

1. The Installer Payment Authorization Form which is signed by both the applicant and the installer and which is also provided via the electronic system to the applicant..

• Grant Scheme for the encouragement of the use of RES and Energy Savings in dwellings 2022-2023 (GR)

• Account Creation Guide (GR)
• "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" Submission Guide (GR)

• Declaration for Invoices that have not been issued in the name of the applicant – shall be submitted with the "APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDING" only if an invoice has been issued in a different name from that of the applicant (or to any other name other than the name of the applicant)

1. Which individuals can apply for CATEGORY 3B of the Scheme?

Beneficiaries of CATEGORY 3B are natural persons who, either themselves or another person with whom they live permanently in the same house and with whom they have a first degree kinship, is a vulnerable electricity consumer. For the purposes of this Scheme, the first degree of kinship includes: parents, children, spouse, sibling, father-in-law, son-in-law/daughter-in-law. The applicant is the person in whose name the electricity bill is issued.

Applicants do not have to be homeowners. Each beneficiary can submit only one application.

2. When should I submit a "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION"?

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit the "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" BEFORE the implementation of the investment, in order to be officially informed whether they fall under the beneficiaries of the Scheme. The Pre-approval is provided to the applicants who at the time of submitting the "PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION" meet the conditions set out in the Scheme.

In any case, investments made after 01/08/2021 are eligible.

3. I don't have a bank account in my name. Can the sponsorship of my application be paid to a relative of mine?

No. The sponsorship is deposited in a bank account in which the applicant must be a beneficiary or co-beneficiary.

It is recalled that for CATEGORY 3B, applicants can request to pay the sponsorship directly to the installer of the Photovoltaic System to repay the purchase invoices.

4. Can I get a grant for a house I rent?

Yes, as long as the house is rented from a natural person to a natural person. If the house is rented by a legal entity (e.g. company) it is not eligible for sponsorship. According to the provisions of the Scheme, "the residences should not be rented by a legal entity and should not be used in the context of economic activity for a period of at least five (5) years from the date of submission of the application".

5. Can I get a grant to invest in my store/ancillary building?

No. The property on which the investment will be made should be legally used as a residence and the electricity bill of the house should be related to house tariffs. Facilities on premises that are not legally used as residences (e.g. ancillary premises/shops/businesses) are not subsidized.

6. I consider myself to be a vulnerable consumer, but you informed me that I am not a CATEGORY 3B beneficiary?

It is emphasized that vulnerable electricity consumers are determined by a Decree and that it concerns existing recipients of specific allowances. The list of recipients of the specific allowances is provided final on a monthly basis to the RES and Energy Conservation Fund by the competent services that provide the relevant allowances. The RES and Energy Conservation Fund does not examine, nor has the ability to examine, whether any applicant could be a beneficiary of any of the allowances provided by the Decree. If the applicant is not on the list of vulnerable consumers, but considers that he/she falls into a specific category of vulnerable consumers, he/she should contact the competent service providing the relevant allowance for more information or request. It is emphasized that in order to be included in the list of vulnerable consumers provided by the competent authorities, you must have received one of the allowances included in the Decree in the previous month and meet any additional requirements (e.g. income criterion for families with three or more children).

7. I have invested in a new house. Can I apply?

No. Eligible are residences for which the application for a building permit and/or urban planning permit was submitted before 01.01.2017. 

8. During the submission of my application, I forgot to attach some supporting documents or attached the wrong supporting documents. What can I do? 

After the final submission of the application, any modification and/or presentation of additional documents is not accepted. In case these documents are necessary for the purposes of examining the application, you will be contacted during the evaluation of the application.

9. Can I apply for CATEGORY 3B and any other CATEGORY of the Scheme?

Applicants of CATEGORY 3B can additionally apply for CATEGORY 1 of the Grant Scheme (Roof thermal insulation). You can not apply for any of the other CATEGORIES of the Scheme (CATEGORIES 2 and 3A).