FEWiM 2.1 – grant for energy renovation of residential buildings in Poland’s Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship

On 8 September 2026, the FEWiM Managing Authority updated the call schedule and explicitly indicated a change or clarification of the timing and amount for two planned calls under Measure 02.01 Energy Efficiency, Scheme C – residential buildings: for projects exceeding EUR 200,000 and for projects not exceeding EUR 200,000. The update notice also confirms that new schedule annexes effective from 8 September 2026 were published. The notice itself, however, does not state the new dates or allocations, so the current dates and allocations should be confirmed directly in the latest schedule annex.

Current status of the calls – 9 September 2026

This distinction is crucial. Information from earlier schedules and calls can still be found online, but following the notice of 8 September it should not be reproduced as current. This applies in particular to dates, allocations and funding rates.

What does FEWiM 2.1 Scheme C cover for residential buildings?

Scheme C under FEWiM Measure 02.01 concerns improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. The currently available criteria indicate that the project must be based on comprehensive energy renovation, rather than the purchase of a single item of equipment or an individual installation.

This is not a programme where photovoltaic systems, heat source replacement, an energy management system or lighting can be planned as a stand-alone measure. The criteria explicitly state that projects limited to just one such element are ineligible. The scope should follow from the energy audit and form a coherent renovation package for the entire building.

Depending on the condition of the building and the audit findings, the project may include, among other things:

• insulation of external walls, roofs, flat roofs and other building envelope elements;
• replacement of windows and doors or improvement of their performance;
• upgrade of the central heating system and its controls;
• upgrade of domestic hot water preparation and distribution;
• ventilation measures;
• replacement or upgrade of the heat source in accordance with the hierarchy set out in the criteria;
• renewable energy installations as part of a comprehensive option;
• energy management systems as part of a broader renovation;
• lighting upgrades, if permitted by the documentation for the specific call and if they remain part of a comprehensive project.

The full catalogue of eligible costs must, however, be checked in the rules for the relevant call. The technical criteria describe how the project should be structured and what result it should achieve, but they do not replace the rules governing costs and settlement.

This grant is not available to every residential owners’ association in the voivodeship

This is the most important limitation that can easily be missed when searching for an “energy renovation grant for residential buildings in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship”. Scheme C forms part of a strategic project linked to the Association of Local Governments of the Warmian-Masurian Borderland. The current criteria include a mandatory condition that, no later than the closing date of the call, the project must be included in the list of projects annexed to the Territorial Agreement.

This means that merely locating the building in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship is not sufficient. Before preparing the documentation, it is essential to check whether the project is included in the relevant agreement and whether the applicant falls within the eligible applicant categories for the relevant call.

Planning documents available to date for this scheme primarily indicate Polish local government units (JST) and their organisational units. It should therefore not be assumed that a residential owners’ association, a TBS social housing company or a private property manager will be able to apply directly. This will ultimately be determined by the rules of each of the two calls.

Project above or below EUR 200,000 – which call applies to our building?

The schedule divides the same type of support into two calls according to project value. One concerns projects exceeding EUR 200,000, while the other concerns projects not exceeding EUR 200,000.

An energy audit is the basis for defining the project scope

Under this scheme, the audit should not be prepared only after the list of works has already been drawn up. The criteria require an ex-ante energy audit for each building separately. The document must comply with the current requirements of the Polish Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 17 March 2009 on the detailed scope and form of energy audits.

The audit should define the existing condition, primary and final energy consumption, and options for measures leading to cost-effective savings. Importantly, the scope of works presented in the application as eligible may not be broader than the selected project option defined in the audit. The criteria provide an exception for specified climate adaptation and accessibility solutions, up to 15% of the project’s eligible expenditure.

If you need a broader description of the service itself, see our building energy audit and energy audit for a multi-family residential building.

Minimum result: 30% primary energy savings for each building

The Scheme C criteria require each building separately to demonstrate 30% primary energy savings. A weaker result for one building should therefore not be offset by greater savings in another and assessed only as an average for the entire package.

Historic buildings and buildings under heritage protection are treated differently. They must also demonstrate primary energy savings, but the criteria do not set a fixed 30% minimum for them.

30% primary energy savings do not automatically mean a 30% reduction in the bill. Costs also depend on tariffs, energy prices, how the building is used, weather and operational changes.

The project scope must be comprehensive

The criteria exclude projects consisting solely of an energy management system, heat source replacement, a renewable energy installation or lighting replacement. These elements may form part of a broader package, but they must not replace comprehensive energy renovation of the building.

For heat source replacement, the criteria establish a hierarchy: priority is given to connection to a district heating network or to a solution using renewable energy. Gas may be used to replace a coal-based heat source only under specified conditions – where connection to a network or the use of renewable energy is not technically or economically feasible, and where the heat source replacement is combined with simultaneous energy renovation. Replacing an old gas appliance with a new gas appliance is not permitted under this criterion.

A nature inventory must also be taken into account

If the project includes work on the façade or roof, the criteria require a pre-construction inventory for protected birds and bats. If the works may destroy their shelters, an appropriate permit from the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) may be required, together with provision of replacement shelters.

How should a residential owners’ association/local government unit prepare for an audit?

Even if the call rules have not yet been published, the technical data needed for the audit can already be prepared. A good starting point is one structured information package for each building.

Building documentation

It is worth collecting available floor plans, sections, building and detailed designs, area schedules, previous audits and installation documentation. Missing documents do not necessarily prevent the audit, but they increase the scope of the on-site inventory.

Renovation history

Information is needed on wall and roof insulation, window replacement, upgrades to the heat substation or boiler room, system balancing and controls, pump replacement, renewable energy installations and ventilation upgrades.

Heat source and central heating/domestic hot water systems

Collect data on the heat source, capacity, efficiency, automation, operating parameters, domestic hot water preparation method, distribution system and controls.

Bills and consumption

It is best to prepare at least one complete year of energy consumption and cost data and, if available, several years to assess changes and seasonality.

Areas, building envelope and windows/doors

The auditor needs reliable heated floor areas, building-envelope geometry, information on the layers and condition of envelope elements, and data on windows and doors.

Which information still needs to be confirmed?

As of 9 September 2026, the following items, which will only be determined by the documentation for the two specific calls, should not be presented as certain:

• the numbers of both calls;
• the current exact dates and allocations – to be taken from the schedule effective from 8 September 2026;
• the maximum funding rate;
• the full list of eligible and ineligible costs;
• project settlement rules, including any simplified arrangements for projects up to EUR 200,000;
• the complete list of required annexes;
• the final list of eligible applicants;
• the exact method for converting the EUR 200,000 threshold into Polish zloty.

The 85% funding rate should not automatically be carried over to the new call merely because it appeared in earlier projects. Likewise, 90% should not be copied from other FEWiM 02.01 calls concerning public buildings.

FEWiM and the programme for multi-family residential buildings in rural areas – two different sources of funding

FEWiM 2.1 is a regional programme for Poland’s Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The Scheme C described here is linked to a strategic project and the Territorial Agreement.

A separate instrument is the NFOŚiGW programme “Improving the energy efficiency of multi-family residential buildings in rural areas”, financed from the Modernisation Fund. It has its own budget, beneficiary model and conditions. NFOŚiGW states, among other things, funding of up to 100% of eligible costs, a limit of PLN 2,000/m² of temperature-controlled floor area and a required result of at least a 30% reduction in primary energy, but these apply to that separate programme, not to FEWiM.

If the building being analysed is in a rural area, it is worth comparing both sources, but first check the eligibility of the specific property. See the separate programme for multi-family residential buildings in rural areas.

How to prepare the project before the call rules are published

1. check whether the project is covered by the relevant Territorial Agreement;
2. confirm the potential applicant and how the project will be implemented;
3. collect technical documentation and energy consumption data;
4. prepare an energy audit for each building;
5. compare the options and confirm that the required energy performance improvement can be achieved;
6. prepare a realistic budget for the entire project and determine on which side of the EUR 200,000 threshold it falls;
7. once the call rules are published, verify the funding rate, eligible costs, settlement method and required annexes;
8. only then finalise the scope of the application.

If you need support not only with the audit but also with structuring the financing and investment documentation, see financing for energy renovation projects.

Frequently asked questions

Can a residential owners’ association receive this grant directly?

At this stage, this should not be assumed. The current criteria link Scheme C to a strategic project and the Territorial Agreement, while the planning documents indicate Polish local government units (JST) and their organisational units. The final list of eligible applicants must be confirmed in the rules for the specific call.

Is the funding rate 85%?

As of 9 September 2026, there are no grounds for stating 85% as the current funding rate for both planned residential-building calls. Earlier calls do not provide a sufficient basis for determining the funding rate in the new calls.

Should the audit cover the entire package of buildings or each building separately?

The criteria require an ex-ante audit for each building separately. The minimum primary energy savings are likewise assessed separately for each building.

Is photovoltaic generation or heat source replacement alone sufficient?

No. The criteria require comprehensive energy renovation and exclude projects consisting solely of renewable energy, a heat source, an energy management system or lighting.

How do we determine whether a project exceeds EUR 200,000?

The division between the calls refers to project value. If the budget is close to the threshold, an exchange rate should not be assumed independently. The exact conversion method must be checked in the current call documentation.

Sources and information status

• FEWiM – Update of the call schedule, 8 September 2026
• FEWiM – Call schedule, version effective from 8 September 2026
• FEWiM – current list of project selection criteria
• FEWiM – project selection criteria, Measure 02.01, Scheme C – residential buildings
• ELI – current Polish Regulation of 17 March 2009 on the scope and forms of energy audits
• NFOŚiGW – separate programme for multi-family residential buildings in rural areas

Information status: 9 September 2026. The exact dates and allocations for both calls should be confirmed directly in the schedule annex effective from 8 September 2026; values from earlier versions of the schedule should not be treated as current.