Energy grants for municipal housing
Grants for Norwegian municipalities to reduce energy use and install renewable energy in existing rental homes, care homes and nursing homes.
Fund insulation of external walls, roofs and cold lofts; window improvements; heating-pipe insulation; liquid-to-water or air-to-water heat pumps; solar electricity and solar heat; and solid-fuel biomass boilers. These are the eligible measures for existing municipally owned buildings.
Husbanken calculates the grant using standard values, not your own project budget. It cannot exceed NOK 5 million per project, and payment cannot exceed 50% of actual measure costs including VAT. You can apply for different measures on the same building, but cannot receive support twice for the same measure on the same building. Where an earlier application covered several buildings but a measure was not undertaken on all of them, you may apply for that measure on the remaining buildings.
The upgrades must reduce annual energy demand or purchased energy, permanently improve buildings and lower tenants’ energy costs without increasing rent. Properties held by the municipality under a valid ground lease also count as municipally owned. Two thirds of the available funding is allocated to municipally owned rental housing.
Eligibility
Norwegian municipalities and municipal enterprises (KF) can apply. Municipal foundations and municipal limited companies (AS) cannot. The scheme excludes Svalbard.
Apply before work starts: measures started or completed before the application are ineligible.
The guide sets technical minimum requirements for every measure. U-value measures heat loss through a building element in W/m²K; the requirements below use an area-weighted average:
- External-wall insulation: U-value 0.18; heritage buildings have requirements of 0.3 for timber and 0.5 for masonry, brick or concrete. Roof insulation: 0.13, or 0.18 for heritage buildings. Cold-loft insulation: 0.14 between the heated floor and cold loft, including heritage buildings.
- Windows: 0.80 for replacement or 1.0 for upgrading. If the upgrading requirement cannot be reached, you must document use of the best available glass. Heritage buildings allow a value of at most 1.20. The value covers the entire window including frame and glazing bars, averaged across the building’s window delivery. External and balcony doors can count only alongside a window project and must meet the corresponding requirements; separate door applications are excluded.
- Heating pipes and components: use prefabricated insulation with a robust surface. The minimum insulation thickness must match the nominal pipe diameter in the guide’s table. Pipework from the energy centre to heated spaces is included; valves and components use prefabricated insulation pads. Replacing poor existing insulation is allowed.
- Solar panels: efficiency at least 21.5%, production guarantee at least 84% after 30 years, panel product guarantee at least 10 years and inverter guarantee at least five years. Heritage buildings with special colour or appearance requirements may instead meet 18% efficiency and an 80% production guarantee after 25 years; the product guarantees stay the same. Building-integrated panels are allowed.
- Solar heat collectors must connect to domestic hot water and/or water-based heating. Both pressurised and unpressurised systems qualify; the calculation uses pressurised-system costs.
- Both heat-pump types require electricity and heat-output metering and a natural refrigerant: ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (R744) or propane (R290). Meters may be integrated or added. Liquid-to-water systems can include heat-source costs such as energy wells.
- Biomass boilers must use solid fuel and have heat-output metering. Replacing another energy source with biomass may provide renewable energy without reducing energy demand.
How to apply
- Status
- Open continuously
- Round restrictions
- Applications are processed continuously while funds remain; new applications are refused once the annual allocation is fully committed.
Apply to Husbanken through its electronic application portal using ID-porten. Your municipality must grant the applicant the role for “Lån og tilskotstenester i Husbanken”. Enter the properties, measures and number of homes; the system calculates the support and expected energy reduction. You cannot submit your own energy-saving calculation or measures outside the eligible list. Care-home and nursing-home projects require separate applications.
There is no application deadline. Husbanken processes applications continuously while funding remains; new applications are refused if the year’s allocation is fully committed.
Husbanken sets completion and reporting deadlines. Normally, finish within one year of the award; an extension can be agreed with Husbanken.
After completion, request payment using form HB 8.S.34 via Altinn or post. Submit an attested project account and report showing the completed measures, housing numbers and expected energy reduction, using Husbanken’s calculator. If quantities or housing numbers change, submit a corrected calculation using the calculator for the award year. For a larger construction contract, identify the supported measure costs separately. Incomplete measures or unmet technical criteria reduce payment.
Husbanken may request information and inspect the work; you must cooperate with necessary inspections. It can revoke the award if conditions cannot be met, or demand full or partial repayment if a breach is discovered after payment.