On the basis of the annual assessment of air quality for 2019, prepared by the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, a list of 261 most polluted municipalities in Poland has been drawn up, gathering places where the PM10 and PM2,5 particulate matters limit values and the target level for benzo(a)pyrene identified in PM10 particulate matter have all been exceeded.

It is with these municipalities in mind, that we run the pilot programme in Pszczyna. We want to see how much our additional support – along the Clean Air and Stop Smog programmes already in place – will help the residents fight smog. I hope that the experiences gather within this pilot will be shared with other municipalities, which are also included in the list of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate

- says Minister of Climate and Environment, Michał Kurtyka.

I hope that the conclusions we shall draw from this pilot in Pszczyna will allow us to combat low emissions more effectively at different levels and in different types of buildings. Additional support for promotion will also provide us with a response to certain questions related to the effectiveness of the Clean Air programme

 - says Bartłomiej Orzeł, representative of the Prime Minister for the Clean Air programme.

When preparing the assumptions of this pilot, we estimated that in the end it should result in the improvement of energy efficiency in about 20 multi-family homes and 140 residential premises. We hope to exchange at least 280 inefficient heat sources for solid fuel. We have allocated for this purpose PLN 6 million to be made available to owners or co-owners of dwellings and housing communities

- lists President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, prof. Maciej Chorowski.

What makes the Pszczyna pilot unique is the abandonment of support for coal sources and less efficient pellet boilers, as well as higher support for heating by heat and electric pumps in dwellings compared to the provisions of the Clean Air programme

- explains deputy chairman of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Paweł Mirowski.

In the basic level of funding – open to applicants with an income of up to PLN 100,000 per year – it will be possible to receive financing for between 30% to even 60% of eligible costs depending on the scope of the project being undertaken, up to a maximum of:

• PLN 25,000 for the exchange of heat source to air/water heat pump and investment involving the replacement of window/door carpentry or ventilation installation;
• up to PLN 18,000, in the case of other heat sources or in the case of connection to an efficient heat source in the building combined with window/door carpentry exchange or ventilation installation tasks;
• up to PLN 5,000 if only the window/door carpentry is replaced or the ventilation is purchased and installed, without the heat source exchange.

In the higher level of co-financing, for multi-member households with an average monthly income per member not exceeding PLN 1,400/person and in case of single-member households PLN 1,960, this will reflect, respectively for the scope of the works described above, non-refundable subsidies of up to: PLN 33,000; 25,000 and 10,000, covering up to a maximum of 70% of the eligible costs of the undertaken investment.

In the case of housing communities, it will be possible to receive financing of up to 70% of eligible costs to finance the project, in the range of PLN 40,000-290,000, depending on: the type of the project (including or not the heat source exchange), the technical solution for heating in the building (common or individual source), the number of premises in the building (3 to 20) covered by the environmental actions and the inclusion of the PV installation. Projects including in their scope the installation of RES equipment, i.e. the use of a heat pump combined with the insulation of the building walls, are most valued.

If an economic activity is carried out in a building/dwelling, the grant will be reduced in proportion to the area occupied by the activity (if the area devoted to the economic activity exceeds 30%, the project is not eligible for financial compensation); and if the building/dwelling is equipped with a heat source other than a solid fuel or a solid fuel source meeting the minimum class 5 of the EN 303-5 standard, then the grant will only be allowed to the thermal modernisation or replacement of the window/door carpentry and to the purchase and installation of ventilation. At the end of this initiative, no solid fuel heat source of less than class 5 may be used in the building/dwelling, and all heat sources shall also meet the target requirements of the anti-smog resolution for the Śląskie (Silesian) Voivodeship.

The Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Katowice will be responsible for running the permanently open call for proposals. The Pszczyna pilot kicks off on 16 April 2021 and provides for an additional PLN 70,000 subsidy to the municipality for information and promotion activities aimed at residents.

In order to benefit from this, the municipality will need to file an appropriate application and meet two conditions. Firstly, it is the Pszczyna commitment to co-finance project implemented within the Clean Air programme and the new pilot initiative, using other public funds during the period on which the pilot is carried out. Secondly, solid fuel boilers with the exception of wood-based boilers and higher standard pellet boilers must be excluded from the co-financing from municipal funds.  

Since the launching of the Clean Air programme, we have granted to the Pszczyna residents almost PLN 8 million of co-financing for the replacement of old furnaces and for the thermal modernisation of single-family houses. However, Pszczyna is one of the most polluted municipalities in Silesia. I am convinced that the rate of exchange of inefficient boilers will increase significantly thanks to the implementation of this pilot programme

- explains Tomasz Bednarek, President of the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Katowice.

The pilot will be implemented with the funds of the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, from 2021 to 2024, but contracts with beneficiaries will be signed by 31 March 2022.

The pilot programme is another solid financial support for the residents of the municipality of Pszczyna planning to replace old coal boilers. For years, the municipality has been helping with such investments and encouraging pro-ecological efforts to improve air quality. Many homes still use the old type of furnaces. Our goal is to eliminate them soon as possible and have them replaced with sources of environmentally friendly energy

- concludes the Mayor of Pszczyna, Dariusz Skrobol.