February 26, 2025, Chișinău - The Household Appliance Voucher Program is launching a new round to support up to 32 thousand households in Moldova. This program offers vulnerable families the opportunity to reduce their electricity consumption and costs by replacing old appliances with new energy-efficient equipment. The initiative is in line with the Government's efforts to improve energy efficiency in the residential sector, contributing to more sustainable and responsible energy consumption.

Vulnerable consumers are expected to benefit from lower electricity bills due to the use of more energy-saving and energy-efficient equipment thanks to the program.

“Energy efficiency is the second highest priority for the Government because by improving everything related to the energy performance of buildings, homes, and even the appliances used, we will reduce energy consumption and lower bills for both the population and the country. This means more money will remain with our families or in the national budget, allowing for investment in development or social projects", stated Dorin Junghietu, Minister of Energy.

"This program has already proven its effectiveness by quickly reducing energy bills for previous voucher beneficiaries. Moreover, we are also seeing other positive effects, such as an increased awareness among the population regarding the use of energy labels and greater responsibility in properly recycling old household appliances. We are pleased that the results achieved so far have been recognized by Moldova’s development partners, who are now contributing to supplementing the program’s budget, ensuring its continuity and expanding its positive impact," said Ion Muntean, Director of the National Center for Sustainable Energy (CNED).

EcoVoucher has been developed by the Government of the Republic of Moldova with EU support.Beneficiaries will be able to use vouchers worth 6,000 lei, covering up to 70% of the price of household appliances (but not more than the voucher value), for the purchase of refrigerators (including with integrated freezer) and washing machine so be eligible, beneficiaries must be registered in the Energy Vulnerability Information System. The vouchers will be distributed so as to include families with a maximum number of children and people over 63 years of age. They will be notified by SMS or e-mail about the availability of the vouchers, which can be accessed through the platform compensatii.gov.md. In order to redeem the voucher, beneficiaries will have to hand in an old household appliance that will be replaced by the new and more energy efficient appliance.

With an estimated total budget of € 7.5 million, the current edition of the program is funded by Norway through the project "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the Republic of Moldova" (E4M), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ Moldova, with the aim of accelerating the energy transition in the Republic of Moldova.

"With the support of the EcoVoucher programme, Norway wants to help vulnerable families in Moldova to benefit from new energy efficient household appliances, such as washing machines and fridges to reduce their energy consumption and save money in the long run. At the same time, EcoVoucher contributes to reducing energy inequality and to increasing the quality of life of the beneficiaries", said Kamilla H. Kolshus, Charge d'Affaires at the Norwegian Embassy Office in Chisinau.

Norway is contributing €12.6 million to CNED through the E4M project, which has a total budget of €25.3 million, consisting of grants from the European Union, the German Government, Norway, and Denmark. Norway will finance the fourth round of the EcoVoucher programme and provide additional support to the Moldovan Residential Energy Efficiency Fund.

"The EcoVoucher Program is an effective way of energy efficiency education. It is a triple-win effect: First, beneficiaries learn that energy labels highlight energy efficiency classes, the better the efficiency class, the higher the energy reduction and cost savings. Second, overall energy consumption will be reduced, relieving the electricity grid in the country and lowering Moldova’s dependence on energy imports. Third and last, with less electricity consumption, less fossil fuels in power plants is needed and less CO2 is emitted helping to avoid climate change”, said Christian Borchard, Implementation Manager of GIZ for the component funded by Norway.

In the first two rounds of the program, 7,220 households received financial support for the purchase of 3,974 washing machines and 3,246 refrigerators, thus contributing to lower energy bills and contributing to CO2 savings for environmental protection.

The total estimated savings for households benefiting from the first two rounds of the program amount to approximately 7.2 million lei per year, or around 920 lei annually on their electricity bills. For the current round of the program, it is estimated that beneficiaries will save up to 30 million lei in total on their electricity bills.

For more details about the Home Appliances Voucher Program and the next sessions, visit the official CNED website or contact the Green Line 0 8005 5005.

The current EcoVoucher round is implemented by CNED and the Ministry of Energy under the "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies in the Republic of Moldova" (E4M) project. E4M is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by GIZ and co-financed by the European Union, Germany, Norway, and Denmark. The current EcoVoucher round is financed by Norway.

EcoVoucher has been developed by the Government of the Republic of Moldova with EU support.