One in five participants lived in a household that has successfully applied for a subsidy
A fifth of people in owner-occupied housing in the Czech Republic have experience with applying for subsidies to reduce the energy performance of their buildings. This is more often the case for occupants of family houses (25% of whom have an experience of applying for subsidies) compared to apartment buildings (12%). People generally see these subsidies as beneficial, and those who have already received subsidies, unsurprisingly, view them even more positively. However, awareness of the various subsidy programmes varies considerably. The umbrella programme “Nová zelená úsporám” (“New Green to Savings”) is the best-known programme, with three out of four respondents having heard of it at least once. Further, however, the willingness to take out a loan to implement a savings measure is relatively low.
“How would you describe your previous experiences with subsidies aiming to reduce the energy consumption of your property?”
A large proportion of Czechs in owner-occupied housing still live in uninsulated households, with family houses worse-off
Among energy-saving measures, people from both family houses and apartment buildings have most commonly replaced their windows for better-insulated ones (about 85% of people). In other respects, however, the situation of people in family houses and apartment buildings differs. While about half of the residents of family houses live in houses with insulated walls, in apartment buildings, the figure is almost three quarters. This is driven mostly by residents of panel buildings, which have been very intensively insulated in the Czech Republic. People from households living in family houses, on the other hand, are significantly more likely to have implemented measures such as investing into a heat pump (19%) or photovoltaics (18%). In apartment buildings, these measures are still quite rare and concern only a low-digit percentage of the population. “Comprehensive insulation”, as we have named the combination of insulated walls, roof, and windows, is also more frequently implemented on apartment buildings. Single-family homes tend to lack this kind of insulation.
Proportion of buildings older than 15 years where comprehensive insulation (windows, walls, roof) has been carried out in the past [%]
Summer is problematic for more households than winter in terms of maintaining a comfortable temperature in the home
The cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature is typically significantly higher in the winter in the Czech context. However, only around 7% of respondents report that their home is too cold during winter, while around a third (27%) of people feel too warm in the summer (the survey was conducted in May 2024, before the year’s summer heatwaves).
“Overall, how satisfied are you personally with the temperature in your home during the summer?”
“Overall, how satisfied were you personally with the temperature in your home this winter?”
“This phenomenon may become more and more important in the future, because based on current trends, the average temperature in the Czech Republic will increase and there will be more and more days with extreme temperatures. The issue of insulation of buildings will therefore become increasingly important because of the summer, not just the winter. Insulation protects the building against heat leakage in winter just as it helps keep the air cooler in summer, especially in combination with suitable shading,” STEM analyst Martin Philipp says.
The energy crisis has affected a large proportion of surveyed households
Three-fifths of the people surveyed have seen energy prices spike in the past three years, with those in family homes slightly more likely to have noticed this. In addition, more than half of the respondents have experienced a reduction in their standard of living due to the energy crisis. For two-thirds (66%) of Czechs in owner-occupied housing, the energy crisis has led to implementing frugality measures regarding heating. Most often, these people heated to lower temperatures (52%), made sure not to keep the heat on when they were not at home (46%) or heated only some rooms (40%). Almost a third felt more stressed about energy bills last winter than before the crisis.
“Has there been a spike in energy prices for your household at any time in the past three years?”
“Generally speaking, how much have you personally been affected by the energy crisis and the associated uncertainty and rising prices?”
Full results can be found in Czech in the full press release.
Contact information:
Martin Philipp, analyst
martin.philipp@stem.cz
+420 723 317 527
The research was conducted in collaboration with:
The research of the STEM Research Institute STEM (www.stem.cz) was carried out on a quota representative sample of people living in owner-occupied housing in family or apartment buildings (quotas according to the Czech Statistical Office – 2021 Census). The analyses capture behaviours, views and experiences that can be relevant for this population group. In contrast, the research does not focus on people in rental housing, for whom we did not assume sufficient knowledge of the property necessary to make informed responses. A total of 1,981 respondents (1,197 from owner-occupied single-family housing, 784 living in apartment buildings) answered the questions in an online survey (CAWI).
