The period of submission of applications for the E -lar program ended on Sunday, once the foreboding funds of 30 million euros for the exchange of gas equipment for electrical and more efficient versions.
“Due to the high adherence to the E -lar program, which, in six days, had about 40,000 candidates, is exhausted the scheduled allocation for this notice, totaling 30 million euros,” reads a communication added on October 5 to the Environmental Fund page.
The regulation provided for applications to remain open until June 30, 2026, or until the available amount available. In just six days, the thousands of applications submitted consumed the appropriation of 30 million euros. On the start -up of the program, the influx of stakeholders was so great that there was an overload of the server and the Environmental Fund page was inaccessible for several consecutive hours.
Will there be reinforcement of the money?
The Ministry of Environment and Energy wants to reinforce the E -lar program funds at 10 million euros and, to this end, aims to present a proposal to the Mission Unit of the Plan of Recovery and Resilience (PRR).
“Let’s see what we can do in terms of reinforcement of financing. The decision is not only ours, it is also from the Mission Unit of the PRR and the European Union”said Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho in statements to journalists on Friday at Culturgest in Lisbon.
Maria da Graça Carvalho stated that there is a global budget of 100 million euros for a set of measures linked to energy poverty, namely 60 million for the Urban Requalification Program neighborhoods + sustainable, 30 million for E -lar and another 10 million for the Environmental Fund, which can now be allocated to e -lar.
The minister explained that the equipment electrification program has a faster execution than programs that promote works and that, in this sense, it would be appropriate “transfer money from the works to the electrodomestics”, Since the PRR has tight execution deadlines.
Energy efficiency
E -lar’s global endowment is subdivided into a batch of 20 million euros for vulnerable families, that is, aggregates that benefit from the social energy tariff or are integrated into the sustainable neighborhoods + refurbishment program, and in a second lot of 10 million for families considered without economic vulnerability.
Initially, the e -lar contemplated only vulnerable families. However, the government negotiated with the European Commission the possibility of widening the program’s eligibility criteria, aiming to promote the energy transition and decarbonization, two key pieces of the fight against climate change.
The program supported the replacement of inefficient or gas stoves, ovens and water, with class A or higher electrical equipment, ie vitroceramic or induction plates, electric set (plate and oven), electric oven and electric thermoacumilator (in this specific case, there was the option of being energy class B or higher). Equipment with hot pump technology was excluded from the program.
UPDATED NEWS: It was added statement by Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho regarding the reinforcement of e -lar funds
