He replaced his old furnace with a heat pump and photovoltaics. Instead of saving, he now pays a fortune

• The case concerns people who invested in photovoltaics or heat pumps with the hope of lower energy bills, but instead of saving - they lost.
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment assures that the regulations introduced in "Clean Air" increase the protection of the program's beneficiaries.
• In addition, in October the government adopted a draft amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act. The provisions aim to further develop renewable energy installations.

Dariusz Matecki, Michał Woś and Piotr Uruski (Law and Justice) submitted an interpellation to the Ministry of Culture and Environment regarding photovoltaics and heat pumps . The case described therein concerns a senior citizen who, during a meeting between the Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia and the residents of Pleszew, described his financial problems, which he is facing after replacing an old furnace, a heat pump and a photovoltaic installation.

The man said he invested his life savings in replacing the heating source. Meanwhile, his electricity bills, instead of going down, went up to several thousand złoty a year, ruining his household budget.

The authors of the interpellation – PiS MPs – pointed out in its content that the current ruling coalition has repeatedly promised significant benefits from investments in green energy, including low electricity bills and improved quality of life.

Poles, including seniors like Mr. Zdzisław, believed that technological changes, promoted as ecological and economic, would bring them financial security. Unfortunately, reality turned out to be far from the promises

- they wrote and asked the Ministry of Culture and Environment whether it has taken any action over the past year to fulfil its promises related to the economic efficiency of heat pump and photovoltaic installations , whether it is monitoring the problems of people who have invested in renewable energy sources and what solutions are being developed to prevent their depletion.

They also wanted to know whether the ministry is planning any adjustments to the support system for prosumers and what the ministry’s plans are to change the current energy billing system, which means that even owners of photovoltaics incur significant fees.

Miłosz Motyka, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment , commented on the matter. As he pointed out, actions to improve the economic efficiency of heat pump and photovoltaic installations have already been taken. These include primarily changes made to the "Clean Air" program and the preparation of a draft regulation aimed at improving the settlement of prosumer installations.

Thus, in 2024, changes were introduced to the "Clean Air" program to protect beneficiaries from installing low-quality heat pumps in uninsulated buildings . As Motyka emphasizes, the introduced solutions reduce the risk of high electricity bills. These changes, introduced from April 22, 2024, consist of financing only heat pumps and biomass boilers included in the list of Green Devices and Materials kept by the Institute of Environmental Protection.

Only heat pumps that have undergone energy efficiency tests in accredited testing laboratories in the EU/EFTA can be entered on the list, and until the end of 2024, also pumps with a European quality mark (HP Keymark, EHPA-Q, Eurovent).

This change, according to Motyka, limits the possibility of installing unverified, poor quality heat pumps from the "Clean Air" program, without reliable information on energy efficiency.

From June 14, 2024, in the case of purchase and installation of a heat pump with a subsidy from the "Clean Air" program, an obligation to conduct an energy audit has also been introduced , the cost of which (up to PLN 1,200) is financed from the program. A mandatory energy audit will eliminate the risk of improper selection of the device for a given building. This limits - according to the representative of the Ministry of Culture and Environment - the risk of exposing the beneficiary to increased energy costs.

In turn, on March 31, 2025 - after a 4-month break - the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management resumed the recruitment of applications for the new version of "Clean Air". The purpose of the changes in the program is to combat energy poverty more effectively, put an end to the so-called horror bills, and eliminate abuses.

As in the old version of the program, in the new one, beneficiaries are divided into three groups. Depending on their income, they will be entitled to a lower or higher subsidy. In the new "Clean Air" the income thresholds have been raised with increased and highest support.

The basic level provides for subsidies of up to 40 percent of eligible investment costs, and such support will be available to those whose annual income does not exceed PLN 135,000.

The second group will include those whose monthly income per person amounts to PLN 2,250 in a multi-person household, and PLN 3,150 in a single-person household; for them, support is limited to 70% of eligible costs.

The highest level of support , up to 100% of costs, will apply to monthly incomes of up to PLN 1,300 per person in multi-person households or up to PLN 1,800 in a single-person household. The highest subsidies will also be available to people who have an established right to benefits - permanent, periodic, family or special care allowance. Owners of houses or premises in which the demand for usable energy for heating is above 140 kWh/m2 per year will qualify for this support threshold. This condition is criticized by the Polish Smog Alarm, which argues that it may exclude many households from support and therefore they will not be able to benefit from the highest support.

People who earn more than PLN 135,000 per year can take advantage of the thermal modernization relief. In this way, you can deduct up to PLN 53,000.

A novelty in the program - which is to limit abuse - will be specified maximum costs for individual investment elements. The level of subsidy has also been limited to accompanying works necessary for the implementation of the investment, but not being its main element. Limits of unit subsidies have also been set per square meter of insulation surface of ceilings, floors and walls, as well as for windows.

NFOŚiGW reminds that VAT is not an eligible cost, therefore its cost will always be borne by the beneficiary.

For example, for thermal modernization and installation of a ground heat pump, at the highest subsidy level it will be possible to receive PLN 170,100, at the increased level - PLN 119,70, and at the basic level - PLN 68,40. For a thermal modernization investment and an air/water heat pump, it will be, respectively: PLN 140,300, PLN 98,210 and PLN 56,120.

It should be remembered that in the new "Clean Air" it will not be possible to receive subsidies for gas furnaces . A separate program is to be prepared for people who have invested in such a furnace but have not managed to settle it. However, the principles of financing devices on the ZUM list - green devices and materials - will be continued. Subsidies will only be available for heat pumps, wood gasification boilers and pellet boilers that have the appropriate certificates and laboratory tests. People who did not manage to settle their investment before the suspension of applications will be able to do so within 4 months. The transitional period will apply to people whose invoices are dated from May 28 last year.

Another important change is that the subsidy will only be available for one building . When applying for support, you will need to prove that you have owned or co-owned the property for at least three years. In the previous version of the program, applications were sometimes submitted for several or a dozen houses, and the property was transferred to a non-working family member with no income, so as to benefit from the maximum subsidy.

Another new feature of the program will be the requirement to conduct an energy audit of the building before the investment is made. In addition to determining the energy condition of the house, the document will indicate the work that needs to be done to reduce the demand for energy for heating. After the thermal modernization, it will be necessary to present an energy performance certificate, which will confirm the reduction in energy demand. Both the audit and the certificate can be obtained up to PLN 1.6 thousand in subsidies from "Clean Air". Both of these documents will have to be signed by authorized persons who are on a special list kept by the Ministry of Development. This element of the program is to prevent the so-called horror bills, which were reported by the media, when, for example, heat pumps were installed in an uninsulated building, causing a significant increase in electricity bills.

A new feature of the program will also be the mandatory participation of so-called operators in investments qualifying for the highest support; in the case of increased support, the operator's participation will be optional. Operators will support beneficiaries free of charge and lead them "by the hand" throughout the entire investment, from making a decision on co-financing, through the implementation of the project to its completion and settlement.

The operator's participation will also be necessary for pre-financing, i.e. advance payment of the investment. It will be available only in the highest and increased level of support. NFOŚiGW informs that the advance payment will amount to 35% and will be conditioned by submitting, together with the application for subsidy, a maximum of three agreements with contractors for the implementation of the undertaking. The provincial environmental protection fund will pay the advance payment to the contractor's account based on: the beneficiary's order, the advance payment invoice and the operator's checklist confirming the fulfilment of the programme conditions.

Currently, about 1,000 municipalities (out of nearly 2.5 thousand) have signed up for the operator program. If there is no operator from a municipality in a given area, the provincial environmental protection fund will replace him.