End of Portuguese government grants for ‘efficient windows’ criticised by association

The National Association of Efficient Window Manufacturers (ANFAJE) has criticised the end of the Programme to Support More Sustainable Buildings (PAES+), warning that middle-class families will be left without any help to improve the thermal insulation of homes.

In a statement, ANFAJE argued that the problem of thermal insulation of buildings is “a challenge that is not limited only to ‘vulnerable families’, but also extends to middle-class families, who are left without any financial support to improve the comfort of their homes”.

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho announced on Friday, in Parliament, the launch of two new support programmes aimed at the most vulnerable people and regions — ‘E Lar’ (E Home) and ‘Áreas Urbanas Sustentáveis’ (Sustainable Urban Areas) — with about €50 million euros each, and the termination of the PAES programme.

ANFAJE stressed said on Tuesday that the new support is intended for the installation of air conditioners, with VAT reduced to 6%, and appliances, which even if more efficient, was counter productive if this did not include improving the thermal insulation of homes.

“Instead of improving the insulation of their homes, [families] will have to pay more on their energy bills to not be cold in winter and hot in summer,” he said.

The association says that “efficient windows, due to their technical characteristics, reduce energy consumption, unlike electrical appliances”, and, therefore, the way forward “is the redesign and reinforcement of the current programme and not scrapping it.