Wrap up your house to keep it warm

Own a house in Brussels and if it’s old enough - built before 1945 - and in the right area, the authorities will be queuing up to throw money at it to pay for renovation costs and the installation of energy saving material and equipment.

A huge number of grants and subsidies are available from a wide variety of sources and there are also income tax breaks and reductions in value added tax (VAT) available with the added bonus of low utility bills once the house is energy efficient.

A system of solar panels for instance could end up costing almost nothing to install if it is used to heat water, provide electricity and run household appliances, should the canny house-holder take advantage of all the financial incentives on offer.

For some years now, the authorities have been anxious to promote Brussels as an attractive place to live and have invested massive amounts of money in building renovation, transport and energy conservation.

Renovation grants offered to householders by the Brussels region are based on an individual’s income and generally correspond to a percentage of the total amount of work carried out. They do not have to be paid back and are available to landlords as well as owner-occupiers.

An owner-occupier living in the zone that goes under the acronym of EDRLR (most parts of Brussels City and the old parts of Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Koekelberg, Jette, Schaerbeek, Saint-Josse, Ixelles, Etterbeek, Saint Gilles and Forest) will benefit from grants to renovate their home inside and out including restoration of the façade no matter how much they earn.

Outside the zone, the amount the authorities are willing to pay up depends on the householder’s income.

Energy grants available from the Region Bruxelles-Capitale for 2007 have been substantially increased this year - the amount it is prepared to pay for the insulation of a roof has been upped from €8 a square metre to €12, to a limit of €1,000. Opting for double glazing and insulation of exterior walls and the floor as well as the roof could see a total contribution of €8,500 from the region’s coffers.

The financial incentives are out there - the only problem is working out who qualifies for what from where.

Householders are faced with a choice of offers from federal and regional institutions as well as their local commune.

Some people will qualify for grants, others for tax breaks and some for both.

The best place to start either in person or on-line is Le Centre Urbain-Brussels Energy Agency (ABEA), a useful organisation for anyone considering renovating a house and/or installing energy-saving equipment and material. Based in the old covered market of the Halles Saint-Géry, a location worth a visit in its own right, this is a mine of information and free advice about everything to do with housing and architecture, not least energy efficiency and renewable energies from the installation of low-energy light bulbs to piping the contents of rainwater collection tanks to toilets and washing machines.

The centre will advise on building maintenance and preservation with information about such things as maintaining wrought iron railings and balconies and the pros and cons of wooden window frames versus plastic. It is here that householders will discover whether the renovations they envisage require planning permission and there is a variety of attractive and easy to understand leaflets available on urban rules and regulations. Many people are perhaps unaware for instance that it is against the law to park a car in the space between the front of a house and the pavement without a permit - or that the authorities are currently offering financial incentives to get rid of the car altogether.

• Le Centre Urbain-Brussels Energy Agency, Halles Saint-Géry, Place Saint-Géry 1, 1000 Bruxelles Tel: 02 512 8619 www.curbain.be

• Patricia Kelly is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.

Own a house in Brussels and if it’s old enough - built before 1945 - and in the right area, the authorities will be queuing up to throw money at it to pay for renovation costs and the installation of energy saving material and equipment.