The great heating give away: Urbis Invest fair demonstration.

The Urbis Invest Fair, produced by Trade Fairs Brno in the Czech Republic's second largest city, was cashing in last week on the country's Euros1 billion "green" give-away.

With subsidies going to 250,000 households to provide environment-friendly household heating systems, the fair had well-attended sections featuring heating and electric power gadgets to the fore.

The event backed up Brno's unique year-round show, Eden 3000, a centre which provides models, sample building materials and a specialist consulting service aimed at modern, ecologically-friendly builders and producers.

Model development: Eden 3000.

In the lead up to the general election in October, the interim government announced the scheme earlier this month, launching the largest ecological programme for households in the history of the country.

By 2010, nearly half the subsidy is expected to be distributed within the programme, with some 40,000 applications anticipated.

In fact, state subsidies for environment-friendly heating were distributed over the past several years but just a few thousands applicants were eligible.

The Czech Republic is financing the new programme through a carbon credit sales contract with Japan this month.

Further funds will come from the EU, which decided to support households as a stimulation initiative, with the onset of the global financial crisis last year.

From Wednesday last week (Earth Day), the Czech State Environmental Fund started accepting applications for external insulation projects of mainly single-family homes and heating systems, using renewable energy sources.

Subsidy depends on house area.

The subvention depends on the size of the house or area. The maximum subsidy per sqm will be Euros72 per metre or capped at Euros8,550.

If the entire programme exhausts its funding, greenhouse gas emissions will be lowered by 1.1 million metric tonnes and Czech households will save millions of Euros for heating annually, according to the government.

Hong Kong suppliers would be advised to take advantage of the increased demand among Czech importers and wholesalers for thermal efficient heaters, biomass heaters with low CO2 emissions, solid, liquid and gaseous bio fuels, solar thermal collectors for absorbing sunlight to provide heat and solar panels.

Furnishing companies could consider new lines in energy efficient windows, materials for floors, walls or roof overcladding, as these are now in huge demand.

from Ivona Taborska, Prague Consultant