1. Six questions in the right order
Each narrows the options, and the design is commissioned only after the sixth. The order saves design cost.
| # | Question |
|---|---|
| 1 | Does the building meet the definition of an eligible recipient: a residential building with three or more apartment ownerships, or wholly owned by the local authority |
| 2 | Is the building in the building register and are the data in order (register data) |
| 3 | What is the current energy performance value as a number |
| 4 | Is the required level achievable, class C for full or a one-class gain for partial reconstruction |
| 5 | Is a round open and which budget does the building fall under |
| 6 | What is the applicable support rate |
2. What to take from the regulation
Five things must not be taken from an overview, and the fourth is the most expensive mistake. The regulation and the round conditions are binding.
The list of eligible activities. The applicable rate and the thresholds affecting it. The required energy performance value as a number. The start of the eligibility period, since a cost incurred before it may not be reimbursable. And the obligations that come with receiving support, for instance a requirement to insure the building for a certain period.
The regulation is freely available and is worth reading in full rather than only in summary. Individual points mislead without context.
3. The three most expensive mistakes
They recur and are all avoidable, and the first is the hardest to put right. It concerns works begun before the decision.
| Mistake | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Starting works before the decision | a cost incurred before eligibility begins may not be reimbursable |
| Commissioning the design before checking the conditions | a design that does not reach the required class has to be redone |
| Not checking the register data | correcting them takes time that does not exist while a round is open |
Work already done cannot be undone, and the rule is simple: before the application is submitted and decided, do not assume a cost will be reimbursed. Waiting is cheaper here.
4. What to do if the answer is no
Three directions are all reasonable, and the third is the least often considered. It concerns renovating without support.
Consider partial reconstruction where a full one is not achievable, as covered by the article on the two routes. Consider a single eligible measure, for instance changing the heating system. And consider renovating without support where the building needs it.
Support is not the aim of a renovation but a means of funding it, and the building's needs do not disappear when the means is absent: a leaking roof has to be repaired whether or not a round is open. The need remains whatever the support.
5. What to document
Four things are useful in the later procedure, and the fourth matters particularly for an apartment association. It concerns documenting the decision.
Which round's conditions were checked and when. The current energy performance value and its source. The basis for the applicable rate. And the reasons for the decision where a partial or an unsupported route was chosen.
The decision has to be justified to the members, as covered by the article on taking the decision. The justification has to be written down.
Summary and four practical rules
Eligibility is checked through six questions running from the definition of an eligible recipient to the applicable rate, and the design is commissioned only after them. Five things must be taken from the regulation rather than from an overview, and the costliest error concerns the start of the eligibility period, since a cost incurred before it may not be reimbursable. Where the answer is no there are three reasonable directions, the least often considered being a renovation without support.
Four rules: check the conditions afresh for every project rather than relying on earlier experience. Do not begin works before the decision. Read the regulation, not the summary. Consider the unsupported route too, where the building needs it.
This article offers professional orientation as at the date of verification. It does not replace the support regulation.