Energy grants for a detached house in 2026 – what support can you actually get?

Many detached house owners have heard that the state would pay €4,000 towards an energy renovation. Let us answer honestly right at the start: in 2026 there is no direct state energy grant open to detached house owners. The grant for giving up oil heating ended in spring 2026, and the new energy grant that opened in September is limited to housing companies. You can still get support for a renovation: the household expenses credit (kotitalousvähennys) is in force, and it is larger than many people guess – up to €3,500 per person for those replacing oil heating. In this article we go through what support actually exists, what happened to the old grants and how much the credit leaves in your pocket in euros.

Can you still get a grant for renovating a detached house in 2026?

A direct grant, no – a tax credit, yes. Here is the detached house owner’s support situation at a glance:

Support	Who it is for	How much	From where
Household expenses credit	everyone who has the renovation done by a company	35 % of the labour share, at most €1,600 per person per year	Finnish Tax Administration
Increased household expenses credit for giving up oil heating	those replacing oil heating entirely with a non-fossil system	60 % of the labour share, at most €3,500 per person per year	Finnish Tax Administration
Energy grant 2026–2027	only housing companies and state-subsidised entities – not detached house owners	–	Varke
Housing allowance for pensioners and social assistance	low-income households, for housing and heating costs, not renovations	depends on the situation	Kela
Energy advice	everyone	free advice, no money	regional energy advisors

What happened to the ARA and ELY grants?

Only a few years ago there were several grants, and old news about them still surfaces in search results. This timeline shows where each form of support ended:

Date	What happened
2020–2023	ARA awarded energy grants for energy renovations of residential buildings – applications have closed.
2023	The temporary electricity deduction and Kela's electricity support only applied to electricity costs in early 2023; neither exists any more.
1.1.2025	General housing allowance is no longer granted for owner-occupied homes.
1.3.2025	ARA was wound down and its tasks were transferred to Varke.
25.5.2026	The application period for the ELY Centre's grant for giving up oil heating (€4,000 or €2,500) ended.
28.9.2026	Applications for the new energy grant 2026–2027 opened – applicants can only be housing companies and state-subsidised entities.

So the image of a €4,000 grant lives on for a reason: the ELY grant for giving up oil heating was at its best exactly €4,000, and the new grant aimed at housing companies is at most €4,000 per apartment. Neither, however, is open for a detached house owner to apply for in 2026.

The household expenses credit is now the most important support

The rules in force in 2026: the credit is 35 per cent of the labour share of work bought from a company (or 13 per cent of wages if you hire an employee), with a €150 deductible and a maximum of €1,600 per person per year. A labour share of €5,000 is enough for the full credit. Only work is eligible – equipment, materials and travel costs do not qualify – so ask the contractor for an invoice where the labour share is itemised. For giving up oil heating there is an increased credit until the end of 2027: 60 per cent of the labour share and at most €3,500 per person. The condition is that the oil heating is removed entirely and replaced with a non-fossil system, such as ground source heating or district heating.

The credit is always calculated from the actual, itemised labour share on the invoice – the labour shares in the following examples are our own assumptions:

Example renovation	If the labour share of the contract is…	Credit for one applicant	Credit for a couple
Ground source heating, contract €20,000	about 50 %, i.e. €10,000	€1,600 (the cap is reached)	€3,200
The same ground source heating renovation giving up oil heating	about 50 %, i.e. €10,000	€3,500	€5,700
Air-to-water heat pump, contract €6,000	about 30 %, i.e. €1,800	€480	splitting does not pay
Solar panels, contract €10,000	about 25 %, i.e. €2,500	€725	splitting does not pay

Spouses each have their own cap but also their own deductible. Rule of thumb: split the credit only if one applicant’s credit would exceed the cap – otherwise the second €150 deductible eats into the benefit. In a ground source heating project the drilling work also qualifies for the credit when it is invoiced as part of the labour share; for new construction the credit is not available. And an important restriction for all energy renovations: if an energy grant has been awarded for the heating system change, no household expenses credit at all is available for the same renovation – you must choose between the grant and the credit.

In addition, a government proposal issued in June 2026 is pending in Parliament that would raise the credit to 40 per cent and the cap to €2,100 retroactively from 1.1.2026. For now it is only a proposal: calculate your renovation using the rules in force and check the up-to-date situation at vero.fi before counting on the increase.

The new energy grant 2026–2027 – who is it for?

The state energy grant that opened in September 2026 raised hopes in detached houses too, but applicants can only be housing companies and entities owning state-subsidised rental or right-of-occupancy housing. The grant is not awarded to private individuals. One exception concerns small-house residents: a housing company made up of several small houses can apply for the grant, so if your house belongs to such a company, it is worth raising the matter with the board. We have gone through the grant’s conditions, euro amounts and the stages of applying in the article Varke’s energy grant 2026–2027.

What about pensioners and low-income households?

There is no separate energy support, but two Kela benefits help with running costs. The housing allowance for pensioners also covers your own detached house: heating, water and maintenance costs are taken into account as standard amounts set by decree, not as actual costs. In basic social assistance, heating costs and necessary household electricity expenses can be taken into account as housing costs. Neither is a renovation grant, but support for the costs of living in your home. In addition, every region except Åland offers free and impartial energy advice funded by the Energy Authority – you can ask an advisor where the savings in your own house should start. We have also collected free and low-cost measures in the article energy saving.

Which renovation pays off in your particular house?

Support does not decide whether a renovation pays off – the house does. The same investment can be excellent in one house and pointless in another: in a 1940s–50s post-war house the most profitable measure is often different than in an electrically heated house from the 1980s. A good starting point is the energy certificate, since it records the assessor’s recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of that specific building – an energy certificate for a detached house is typically a purchase of a few hundred euros. We cover renovation options in the articles energy renovation and how to get a good E-value, and for example the suitability of an air-to-water heat pump for your house is worth checking before requesting quotes.

If an energy certificate has ever been prepared for your house, it is worth digging out its recommendations. Check the status of the certificate with our energy certificate check tool – or let us check it for you. You will find our other tools on our tools page.

Frequently asked questions about the grants

ARA’s grants – what changed?

ARA was wound down on 1.3.2025, and its tasks were transferred to the Housing Construction Centre of the Finnish State, Varke; ara.fi now redirects straight to varke.fi. Renovation and energy grants for residential buildings are therefore now applied for in Varke’s online service. The organisational change did not, however, bring back energy grants for detached houses – the new grant is limited to housing companies and state-subsidised entities.

Can you apply for an ended grant retroactively?

No. Applications for the ELY grant for giving up oil heating closed on 25.5.2026, and under decisions already made the project had to be completed by 31.8.2026 and payment applied for by 30.9.2026 – the scheme has been wound down. By contrast, the pending increase to the household expenses credit would, according to the proposal, enter into force retroactively from 1.1.2026 – but only if it is enacted into law.

Do you need an energy certificate to get support?

The household expenses credit does not require an energy certificate. In the energy grant for housing companies, E-value calculations are part of the application and a new energy certificate is part of the payment stage. For a detached house, the certificate is needed at the latest when the house is sold or rented out – and when planning a renovation, its recommendations are useful even earlier.

Will grants for detached houses return with the EPBD?

There is no certain answer. The national implementation of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is still under way: in autumn 2026 Parliament is considering proposals to reform energy certificate regulation and the act on the energy performance of buildings, and decrees are being prepared. So far there is no decision on new grants for detached houses – it is worth following the announcements of the Ministry of the Environment and Varke.

When you want to know which renovation pays for itself fastest in your particular house, order an energy certificate: our assessor, who holds a qualification certified by FISE, records savings recommendations in the certificate based on your house’s actual characteristics. Submit a request for a quote and we will tell you the price and schedule, or take a look at our services first.

Sources: