The Ministry of Energy and the National Center for Sustainable Energy (CNED) have officially launched the Voucher Program for Home Appliances, an initiative dedicated to supporting vulnerable consumers in the Republic of Moldova.

The program, with a budget of 54.4 million lei, financed from the state budget, offers vouchers of up to 7,000 lei, which can be used to purchase energy-efficient household appliances such as refrigerators (including refrigerators with integrated freezers) and cars washing machine with integrated dryer.

In order to purchase an electrical appliance, the beneficiaries will have to offer in return an old equipment of the same type, which does not necessarily have to be functional.

"Through the EcoVoucher Program, the Government helps families to reduce their energy bills, but also to offset the cost of household appliances for consumers with an increased degree of energy vulnerability. High energy bills, including for those on low incomes, are not just about the price of energy. The bills are mostly about how efficiently we use this energy, how efficient are the appliances we use. We want that following this program we will see that the bills of those who benefit from aid decrease, and these people will have a higher level of comfort", declared Victor Parlicov, Minister of Energy.

Vouchers will be distributed to include a diverse range of vulnerable households, ensuring support for families with children, pensioners, people with special needs, as well as other energy vulnerable households.

"The voucher program is the most prompt tool available at the moment through which the state offers support to households in making energy consumption more efficient. It allows, in a very convenient way, for all parties involved, that the old electrical appliances owned by the beneficiary households of the program are replaced with energy efficient ones. Thus, the program contributes to the achievement of national objectives in the field of energy efficiency and at the same time has a positive impact on the environment by the fact that old electrical appliances are collected and recycled in accordance with all the rigors in the field", declared Ion Muntean, director of CNED.

The voucher program is financed by the mechanism of energy efficiency obligations, introduced by the Ministry of Energy in 2024.

Official partners of the Voucher Program for Household Appliances are the Enter, Bomba, Maximum, Ultra, Hi-Tech and A-Tehno stores.

This program represents an important step in the efforts to ensure access to efficient household appliances for all citizens, especially the vulnerable, and at the same time to promote energy efficiency at the national level.

Last year, CNED and PNUD Moldova implemented the pilot program for granting vouchers for household appliances "Rabla for household appliances", with the financial support of the EU. Within the Program, they offered 7,246 vouchers for refrigerators, washing machines and electric stoves and 303,336 for LED bulbs.

This program contributes to the efficiency of energy consumption and the reduction of energy poverty, offering long-term sustainable solutions.

More details about the program are available on the official website of CNED.