EBRD-backed home energy finance reaches 25,000 Western Balkans families

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Highlights

EBRD's Green Economy Financing Facility has enabled 25,000 Western Balkans households to invest in energy-efficient technologies since 2017.
A family in Vrčin, Serbia, reduced monthly electricity costs from €100 to €25 after installing rooftop solar panels and a heat pump with GEFF support.
GEFF has facilitated €280 million in loans via 38 partner financial institutions, co-funded by the EU and multiple donors, to support residential energy upgrades.

Regional financing milestone in Serbia

As reported by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the 25,000th household to benefit from Green Economy Financing Facility support is a family in Vrčin, near Belgrade, which installed rooftop solar panels with backing from 3 Banka. The programme supports investments such as solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, biomass systems and high-efficiency windows across the Western Balkans.

The household says the investment is already reducing monthly electricity costs, with spending falling to about €25 from €100. The family also replaces an old wood and coal stove with a heat pump and expects further savings during the winter.

GEFF is structured so the EBRD provides financing to local banks and microfinance institutions, which then lend to homeowners and families. EU- and donor-funded grants can also lower the upfront cost of eligible green technologies, widening access to upgrades that might otherwise be difficult for households to afford.

Energy-efficiency push across the Western Balkans

Aleksandra Vukosavljević, EBRD Director for Financial Institutions in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, says the milestone reflects broader access to green finance for households across the region. Andreas von Beckerath, the EU ambassador to Serbia, says the programme shows how the green transition can deliver direct benefits including lower bills, better comfort and cleaner energy.

The residential sector remains one of the largest energy consumers in the Western Balkans, making home-efficiency investment a key part of the region's energy transition. Through GEFF, households work with local financial institutions to choose eligible technologies suited to their homes and energy needs.

Since GEFF launched in 2017, the EBRD has signed €280 million in loans with 38 partner financial institutions in the Western Balkans. The programme is co-funded by the EU through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, as well as Austria, Denmark, Japan, and Austria and Switzerland through the High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action.

Our earlier coverage of Thailand’s fiscal 2027 borrowing plan detailed the government’s approval of 1.26 trillion baht in new debt, including dedicated funding for energy-transition projects, alongside a larger bond issuance program. We also noted that the plan would push Thailand’s public-debt ratio close to its 70% ceiling, keeping the country’s financing strategy under closer fiscal scrutiny as it balances growth goals with debt limits.

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