Cyprus home energy upgrade grant 2026: who qualifies and how much

In short

Who it applies to

Those who own a home in Cyprus, or live in one with the owner's consent, and are ready to insulate it seriously. The answer turns not on your passport but on the age of the building: the scheme is only for homes connected to the grid before 2008 — a flat in a new development does not qualify, whoever owns it.

What it costs

Applying costs nothing, but beforehand you pay an expert for the home's energy certificate (ΠΕΑ) — the scheme does not set that price, and it is not refunded if you are turned down. The grant itself is up to €24,000, or up to €32,000 if the home is brought to nearly zero-energy standard. It is not a percentage of your invoices but a fixed sum per item of work: per square metre of insulation or windows, per air conditioner, per kilowatt of panels.

How long it takes

Applications are accepted from 9:00 on 20 October to 23:59 on 30 December 2026 — or until the €20 million budget runs out, and the queue goes strictly by time of submission. Once approved, you have 12 months for the works and the final certificate, extendable by six more. The money arrives only after the works and the checks, and the ministry does not say when.

Where to apply

Online only, at fundingapps.meci.gov.cy, after signing in with an identified CY Login account. It starts not with the website but with an expert from the Energy Service register: they inspect the home, issue the 'before' certificate and choose works that will reach the required saving. Their declaration goes with the application.

If your case differs

One application per person and one per home — even if you own two flats. It is filed by a natural person who lives permanently in Cyprus and is clear with Social Insurance, VAT and income tax. You may not finish all the works before applying, nor add new ones afterwards. For five years after payment the home may not be used for economic activity; letting is allowed only long-term and to a natural person.

Your case

Deadlines and conditions

• the usual cap is €24,000 per homeThe Implementation Guide, section 12, investment type Β: «Το ποσό χορηγίας δύναται να ανέλθει μέχρι τις €24.000 για κάθε κατοικία». The condition for the type is a primary energy saving of at least 60% on the final certificate and at least one envelope measure (Α1, Α2 or Α3).
• up to €32,000 if the home becomes a nearly zero-energy buildingThe Guide, section 12, type Α: «Το ποσό χορηγίας δύναται να ανέλθει μέχρι τις €32.000 για κάθε κατοικία». Type Α requires everything type Β does and, on top, bringing the home to nearly zero-energy building standard under the ministerial decree. Fall short of Α and, under section 13.Θ, they check whether Β was met and pay on that basis.
• a primary energy saving of at least 60%The Guide, section 1 («τουλάχιστον κατά 60 %»), and section 12 for both types: the primary energy saving is measured by comparing the final ΠΕΑ with the initial one. FAQ, question 13: if non-compliant equipment pulls the saving below the threshold, the whole application fails, not just that item.
• the home must have been connected to the grid before 1 January 2008The Guide, section 7: «Η πρώτη σύνδεση της κατοικίας με το δίκτυο να έχει γίνει ΠΡΙΝ την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2008 (συμπεριλαμβανομένης) ή η αίτηση για την έκδοση της πολεοδομικής / οικοδομικής τους άδειας να υποβλήθηκε πριν τις 21/12/2007». FAQ, question 25: a new home whose permit was applied for after 2008 is not covered.
• the call's budget is €20 million, first come first servedThe call for applications of 30.09.2026: «με συνολικό προϋπολογισμό 20.000.000 ευρώ»; applications are taken «μέχρι εξαντλήσεως του διαθέσιμου προϋπολογισμού», in order «με βάση τη σειρά υποβολής των προτάσεων (άμεση αξιολόγηση)».
• 12 months for the works after approvalThe Guide, section 13.Ζ: works and the final ΠΕΑ «εντός δώδεκα (12) μηνών από την ημερομηνία κοινοποίησης της έγκρισης»; extension «μέχρι και έξι (6) πρόσθετους μήνες» on written request. The FAQ (question 22) counts the same 12 months from signing the funding agreement (ΣΔΧ), not from the approval letter: the FAQ predates the Guide, and the approval itself will state when the clock starts.
• for 5 years after payment, no economic activity in the homeThe Guide, section 7: the home «να μην ενοικιάζονται από νομικό πρόσωπο και να μην χρησιμοποιηθούν στο πλαίσιο άσκησης οικονομικής δραστηριότητας για περίοδο τουλάχιστον πέντε (5) χρόνων από την ημερομηνία καταβολής της χορηγίας»; letting by one natural person to another is allowed if it is «μακροχρόνια μίσθωση για σκοπούς μόνιμης κατοίκησης του μισθωτή». Section 17 adds a duty to keep the investment for the same five years.

Sources

• Industry and Technology Service, “Σχέδιο Χορηγιών «Εξοικονομώ – Αναβαθμίζω στις Κατοικίες (2026)»”www.industry.gov.cyThe scheme page: application window, budget, the three conditions on the home, both caps and links to all documents. Greek only — the English version of the site serves the same Greek text.
• Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, scheme Implementation Guide, 3rd call (2026), V4.05102026www.industry.gov.cyThe primary source for every condition: who applies (section 6), which homes (7), criteria (9), works and their technical thresholds (10), types and caps (12), procedure and deadlines (13), documents (14–15), tax compliance (18), fixed sums per item (Annex Α), vulnerable consumers (Β), mountain areas (Γ).
• Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, clarification notice on the 3rd call, 05.10.2026www.industry.gov.cyOne sentence that changes the answer on solar panels: Β.4 is funded only together with Α1, Α2, Α3 or Β3.
• Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, indicative answers to frequent questions, 15.05.2026www.industry.gov.cyAnswers not stated outright in the Guide: the applicant must live permanently in Cyprus (question 38), a holiday home qualifies (29), the name on the ΑΗΚ bill does not matter (36), a new home does not qualify (25), the expert's fee is not regulated and not refunded on refusal (11), the actual cost of the works does not affect the grant (47–48).
• Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, required documents, 15.05.2026www.industry.gov.cyThe four documents for the application: the latest ΑΗΚ bill, an ΑΗΚ certificate of connection before 2008, proof of ownership by a natural person (or a sale contract lodged with the Land Registry), and the initial ΠΕΑ with the expert's declaration.
• Energy Service, register of qualified expertsepc.meci.gov.cyThe list of experts whose energy certificate the scheme accepts. Both the Guide (section 13.Β) and the FAQ (question 1) link to it.