Energy renovation of commercial non-residential buildings

The Programme of energy renovation of commercial non-residential buildings for the period between 2014 and 2020 with a detailed plan for energy renovation of commercial non-residential buildings for the period between 2014 and 2016 (Official Gazette 98/14) was adopted by the Government of the Republic of Croatia on 30 July 2014.

A commercial non-residential building is every building in majority private ownership in which more than 50% of the gross floor area is intended for business and/or service industry, and which includes one of the following purposes:
 
  • offices
  • hotels, restaurants and catering facilities
  • wholesale and retail trade buildings
  • industrial facilities
  • etc.

The Government of the Republic of Croatia grants through the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund subsidies for energy renovation of the building envelope or for complete renovation. Energy renovation of the building envelope refers to improvements in building insulation, and the building envelope consists of exterior walls, basement walls, outer window and door frames, ceilings bordering an unheated attic, or flat roofs and pitched roofs if attic space is heated. Subsidies can be obtained for projects by the implementation of which energy class B, A or A + can be achieved.

Complete renovation of building includes renovation of the building envelope and renovation of the building energy system consisting of:
 
  • heating, cooling and ventilation system – heating system: condensing boiler fired by natural gas as an energy product, wood biomass-fired boiler (pellets, chips) - cooling system: control of the central cooling system through heat pump
  • preparation of hot water – introduction of central system of DHW generation by solar collector system
  • lightning system: replacement of existing lighting system with a more energy efficient one

The standard of nearly zero-energy buildings is achieved by complete renovation and it is a building that has a very high energy performance and in which a very significant share of energy demand is met from renewable sources, including renewable energy produced by the building or in its vicinity.

Nearly zero-energy buildings will be a building/renovation standard as from 1 January 2019 for public buildings, and as from 1 January 2021 for all buildings. The Ministry of Construction and Physical Planning has prepared a plan for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings by 2020, available on the website.

Since the beginning of 2015 the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund has been publishing on its website www.fzoeu.hr public calls for direct co-financing projects of increasing energy efficiency of commercial non-residential buildings.

More information on projects of increasing energy efficiency of commercial non-residential buildings and the Annual programme of announcement of public calls and competitions in 2015 is available on the Fund's website www.fzoeu.hr, or every working day between 9.00 and 15.00 at the free info line 0800 200 170, or by sending an enquiring by e-mail to: enu@fzoeu.hr