The scheme: Save – Upgrade Homes 2026
A new government grant is coming this September, and for once it explicitly names battery storage as an eligible cost, not just solar panels. Here is exactly what the Cyprus Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry (MECI) has confirmed so far, and what is still to be published.
The official name is “Εξοικονομώ – Αναβαθμίζω στις Κατοικίες” (Save – Upgrade Homes), the third call for proposals under the wider ΘΑλΕΙΑ (THALIA) 2021–2027 programme, co-financed by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus. MECI’s Service of Industry and Technology announced this round on 15 May 2026, with a total budget of €20 million.
According to the ministry’s own notice, the call for proposals — meaning the actual application window — will be announced within September 2026. As of this writing, applications are not yet open; only the scheme itself has been pre-announced.
What it covers
The ministry’s announcement lists the following as eligible investments:
- Thermal insulation of the building envelope
- Replacement of window and door frames
- Installation of shading systems
- Solar water heating systems
- Standalone air-conditioning units
- High-efficiency heat pump heating/cooling systems
- Photovoltaic systems operating under the net-billing scheme
- Energy storage systems (batteries)
- Fees for a registered specialized energy expert
Those last two lines are the headline for anyone who has been holding off on adding storage to a PV system: this is one of the few Cyprus residential schemes to name battery storage as its own eligible line item, alongside the panels themselves.
Who qualifies
Per the official notice, a home is eligible if:
- It is owned by a natural person (companies are not eligible, and the home cannot be used for any commercial activity)
- It has an existing EAC account on the domestic tariff, held by that same natural person
- The home’s first grid connection happened before 1 January 2008, or its building/planning permit application was submitted before 21 December 2007
Each person may submit one application under this call.
The process, and why timing matters
Before applying, homeowners need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC / ΠΕΑ) for the property, issued by a Specialized Expert registered with the Energy Service. Two details worth flagging early:
- The initial EPC must be dated after 15 May 2026 — an older certificate will not qualify.
- To actually receive the grant, the works have to deliver at least a 60% reduction in primary energy consumption, measured by comparing the initial EPC against a final EPC issued after the upgrade is complete.
The ministry has also confirmed that the detailed Application Guide, which will set out the exact subsidy percentage or cap for each type of investment including storage, will be published on the Service’s website (meci.gov.cy/sit) at the same time the call opens in September. Those figures are not public yet.
One caution directly from the ministry: homeowners who start eligible works before the Application Guide is published are doing so entirely at their own risk. It does not obligate MECI to approve funding for work already done, so anyone moving early should keep every invoice and photo as documentation.
What is still unconfirmed
To be straightforward about the gaps: press coverage (Cyprus Mail, citing Energy Minister Michael Damianos) has reported a cap of up to €32,000 per home and a 20% top-up for vulnerable households, mountainous-area properties, and refugee housing, but neither figure appears in the ministry’s own scheme announcement we reviewed, so we are flagging them as reported-but-not-yet-officially-published rather than confirmed. The exact subsidy rate for a battery storage installation specifically, as opposed to the general 60%-savings requirement, is not available until the Application Guide comes out.
Where this leaves you
If you are planning to add battery storage to an existing PV system, or install PV and storage together, this scheme is worth tracking closely from September:
- Confirm your home qualifies (pre-2008 grid connection, EAC domestic account in your name)
- Get your Energy Performance Certificate arranged with a registered expert, dated after 15 May 2026
- Talk to us about sizing a net-billing PV + storage system now, so you are ready to apply the moment the Application Guide and submission window open
We will publish the subsidy figures and application steps here as soon as MECI releases the Application Guide. In the meantime, if you want a system designed and costed ahead of the call opening, get in touch — our BESS team can walk you through what a compliant, EAC-approved system looks like for your property.
Sources: Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry — official scheme announcement, 15 May 2026; Information Portal for Funding Programmes — Save–Upgrade Homes Grant Scheme (2026); Cyprus Mail, 15 May 2026; THALIA 2021-2027 programme page.