Key promotional area: Housing – business sector Kommunal- und Privatkundenbank/Kreditinstitute (Municipal and Private Client Bank/Credit Institutions)

Broad portfolio: Through its key promotional area of housing, KfW finances not only climate and environmental protection investments but also those that address the “demographic change” megatrend. Promotional programmes cover a range of areas, from home ownership through energy efficiency to investments in accessible, age-appropriate housing featuring anti-burglary measures.

Find out more about funding for new builds

Find out more about funding for existing homes

Robust construction activity combined with the persistent low interest rate environment generated very brisk demand for promotional loans and grants. More than EUR 2 billion in federal budget funds was made available for this purpose again in 2017. More of an emphasis was placed on the refurbishment of existing buildings in 2017. Compared with the previous year, commitments for energy-efficient refurbishment were up by 5%.

Growing proportion of high “Efficiency House” standards for new builds

The graphic shows that the promotional measures are setting standards and that the proportion of more energy-efficient standards is constantly on the rise. A survey conducted among building contractors, prefabricated house manufacturers and component manufacturers also confirmed that the market is responding in a timely manner to the requirements that need to be met to receive promotion.

Incentive promotion for new technologies

More than 1,500 applications were submitted in 2017 for the installation of fuel cell heating systems in new or existing residential buildings. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) makes funds available for this purpose from the Energy Efficiency Incentive Programme every year.

Find out more (German page)

Grant promotion boom

In addition to loan financing, KfW also offers grants, for which interested parties can submit applications online and be paid directly.

All housing-related grant programmes are now processed via the KfW grant portal. Almost 250,000 grant applications were submitted and approved in total in 2017.

Find out more (German page)

Legal notice:
The information contained in this online Annual Report 2017 is based on KfW’s Financial Report 2017, which you can download here. Should this online Annual Report 2017, despite the great care taken in preparation of its content, contain any contradictions or errors compared to the Financial Report, the KfW Financial Report 2017 takes priority.