Good practice:

Inclusion of social criteria in incentive programmes for energy improvement in housing.

Following the increase in the number of people living in energy poverty, the incentive programmes reflect the need to consider social criteria alongside the technical criteria to determine the percentage of incentive granted. Therefore, an additional (extra) percentage is added to the basic percentage based on compliance with the social criteria established in the regulations.

Between 2017 and 2020, the "Sustainable Construction" incentive programme, aimed at energy improvements in housing, contemplated an additional incentive percentage of 10-55% over the base incentive percentage for beneficiaries that were social housing owned by a public business agency of the Andalusian Regional Government or a local entity. In this programme a maximum incentive rate of 80-85% could be reached with the limitation of a minimum investment of between 500 €/housing.

During 2021, the "PREE" incentive programme aimed at energy rehabilitation in existing buildings contemplates an additional incentive percentage of 10% over the base percentage for beneficiaries that are dwellings qualified under a public protection regime or located in Urban or Rural Regeneration and Renewal Areas, as well as for consumers who have been granted the social bonus. In this programme, a maximum incentive rate of 85% can be reached with the limitation of a minimum investment of €6,000/house for some actions.

- “Sustainable Construction” 2017-2020:
Funds of 182.8 million euros from the ERDF 2014-2020
- “PREE” 2021:
Funds of 49.3 million euros from the ERDF 2014-2020

- “Sustainable Construction” 2017-2020:
9.779 applications (projects), 15 with social criteria
- “PREE” 2021:
575 applications, 78 with social criteria

The documentation proving the social criteria needs to be agreed between the different administrations.

The incorporation of social criteria in incentive programmes is transferable to any EU subsidy/incentive programme and is a way of leaving no one behind. Vulnerable groups need a bigger boost and the additional increase is a way to give that boost.