A planned apartment-building component of the Wekerle Plus programme could provide a new way to finance such work. In an article published on 7 November, Világgazdaság outlined the proposal on the basis of a Facebook video by István Kapitány, Hungary’s minister for economic and energy affairs.
The whole building matters
Kapitány said that upgrading individual flats would not, by itself, solve a building’s wider energy problems. If the outer walls are poorly insulated or the shared heating system is outdated, the owners must act together.
According to the minister, nearly one fifth of Hungary’s brick-built apartment blocks are in the lowest energy-efficiency category. The programme would therefore also support upgrades covering entire buildings.
In the apartment blocks of Budapest’s District VII, Erzsébetváros, this could include work that requires a collective decision by the owners. The plans cover external insulation, window replacement and the modernisation of heating and hot-water systems.
Grants and interest-free loans in one package
Under the proposed scheme, up to HUF 5 million could be available for each flat. As much as HUF 2.5 million of that sum could be a non-repayable grant, with the exact amount depending on the building’s energy performance. The remainder would be provided as an interest-free loan.
Owners would be required to contribute no more than HUF 200,000 per flat. To qualify, the refurbishment would have to deliver energy savings of at least 30 per cent, verified through an energy performance certificate.
The figures refer to the amount available per flat, while decisions on the project and its preparation would have to be made collectively by the condominium.
Applications could open in March
Under the current plans, residential communities could apply from March 2027. Kapitány advised apartment blocks to contact their common representative and an energy specialist beforehand, assess the condition of the building and begin preparing possible upgrades.
Wekerle Plus already offers financing for home purchases. Világgazdaság wrote that this part of the programme began on 28 October alongside the gradual withdrawal of the Otthon Start scheme. People aged between 18 and 45 may receive loans of up to HUF 50 million for a maximum term of 25 years, at 5 per cent interest for an existing home and 3 per cent for a new home or a self-build.
For the apartment-building upgrade scheme, March 2027 remains the planned starting point. The first practical steps would be to contact the building’s common representative and arrange a professional assessment of its energy performance.
Source: Világgazdaság
