The applications for the E-Lar program began this week, with over 13,000 families requesting vouchers to replace gas appliances with more efficient ones within the first 24 hours, the government announced.
“The application period for the E-Lar program opened on September 30. More than 13,000 applications were submitted via the online platform within the first 24 hours,” stated a government post shared on social media.
The government further disclosed that at certain times, the demand reached around 400,000 simultaneous accesses, causing various issues on the portal.
The Environmental Fund’s page for individuals to apply for the E-Lar program went live on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., but it experienced outages and disruptions throughout the day, attributed to the high number of applicants. Before the applications opened, 385,000 accesses were recorded, according to the Ministry.
However, by Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Environment and Energy assured that the page was functioning normally, with 6,133 applications submitted by 10:00 a.m., and another 2,273 in progress.
What is the E-Lar?
The program aims to enhance the fight against energy poverty and promote thermal comfort in disadvantaged homes. It encourages the replacement of old equipment with new, more energy-efficient models and accelerates the transition to electric consumption by replacing gas appliances with electric ones.
“The E-Lar program aims to support energy efficiency measures in homes, contributing to reduced energy consumption and costs for families,” the government explained in the post.
Support can be used, for example, to purchase electric induction and conventional hobs, electric ovens, or electric water heaters. Applicants whose submissions are approved receive a support voucher.
What is the program’s funding?
According to a set of FAQs about the E-Lar, the “total allocation for this Call for Applications is 30 million euros,” with eligible submissions being financed “until this allocation is exhausted.”
This means that applications will be accepted until it is anticipated that the funding allocation will be depleted, with a final deadline of June 30, 2026.
“The support to be granted are non-repayable subsidies, using the method of simplified costs, with a maximum co-financing rate of 100% up to the limit per typology,” it stated. After receiving the voucher, it must be activated at the supplier’s store within 60 days.
