20,803,212 euros of the proceeds of the sustainability bond issued in March 2021 were allocated to the category Energy Efficiency in Buildings. That equals 1.66% of the total nominal amount of the sustainability bond.
Flanders excludes fossil fuels financing, with the exception of the measures included in the legislation.
No proceeds are currently allocated to the Fund set up to help ‘emergency buyers’. The first expenditures occurred in 2021. However, the amount in 2021 was negligible. Therefore, it was decided not to include these proceeds.
Flanders gives priority to projects that improve the shell of buildings and contribute to reducing energy loss. Examples of such investments are insulation and high-efficiency glazing. Secondly, Flanders looks for projects that provide buildings with energy-efficient equipment, such as low-energy heating systems or relighting. Thirdly, Flanders selects projects that increase the use of renewable energy in a building, such as solar panels, solar water heater, heat pump, etc. Energy audits are ranked last.
Until the end of 2018, anyone could benefit from the renovation loan. However, vulnerable low-income households had priority, which was reflected in the applicable interest rate.
Since 2019, only non-commercial legal entities, cooperative companies (until the end of 2019) and vulnerable low-income households can apply for the renovation loan. Vulnerable groups, the so-called ‘priority group”, currently enjoy a zero-interest rate.