After a five-year period following a subsidy, for example for a heat pump, it is legally possible to install, among other things, a coal boiler using eco-pea coal or a pellet boiler. More and more beneficiaries of the Clean Air program, for whom the previously recommended devices have not worked out, are becoming interested in such solutions, but the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management does not study this phenomenon. Almost PLN 19.5 billion has already been paid out under the government program that was meant to lead to the replacement of heating sources.
In recent weeks, many heat pump users have complained about poor performance during frosts and sky-high electricity bills. Photos of frozen heat pumps have also circulated online – devices that for years were promoted and described as particularly environmentally friendly. Experts point out that the proper operation of these devices depends on many factors, including building insulation, proper sizing of the unit, temperature settings, and also correct installation, which often proves problematic. As a result, many users have become disappointed with heat pumps and are considering other options.
“I am considering returning to eco-pea coal”
As we hear from people in the heating industry, companies providing such services have noticed market potential in replacing heat pumps with other devices, installing an additional alternative device, or modifying a boiler previously approved under the program. Installers and plumbers are increasingly proposing changes to heating systems themselves after the period specified in the Clean Air program has expired, after which beneficiaries no longer have to fear inspections.
The topic is also becoming increasingly popular on heating-related forums, and threads on this issue appeared especially during the recent cold spell.
“Five years ago I received a subsidy for a heat pump from the Clean Air program. The pump has been unreliable from the start, and the bills are comparable to eco-pea coal consumption. The plus is that it is maintenance-free. I am considering returning to eco-pea coal and here is the question: after five years, do I have to return the subsidy? What does it look like formally?” asked Ms. Monika in the Facebook group “Heat pumps – electricity consumption”, which has over 71,000 members.
“The five years are counted from the moment the subsidy is transferred and then modernization is possible,” suggested another user.
National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management does not know the scale
The so-called durability period in the Clean Air program is five years from the date of completion of the project. This is the time during which the investment may be inspected. An inspection may also take place before the subsidy is paid. Using the subsidy to replace a heating source involves the obligation to remove the old source, for example a so-called “smoker,” and scrap it. During the durability period, it is not allowed to dismantle devices, installations, or construction products purchased and installed as part of the project, except for replacing defective installations or devices with others of parameters no worse than those removed. It is also not allowed to install additional heat sources that do not meet the detailed conditions described in the program. All these restrictions expire after the aforementioned five years.
The portal niezalezna.pl asked National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management to explain whether the Fund collects data on beneficiaries of the Clean Air program who, after the five-year durability period, replaced devices or installed additional heat sources.
“We inform you that after the five-year durability period of the project, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management does not collect data on the further use of the subsidized installation,” we read in the response from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management press office. The scale of abandoning subsidized devices is therefore not officially known.
Heat pumps weaken, pellet gains strength
On the market, however, it is clear that interest in such options is growing. This is happening despite the fact that so-called anti-smog resolutions are being introduced in individual cities and provinces, specifying dates for bans on the use of various types of boilers. In most provinces, however, 5th-class boilers meeting EcoDesign requirements, which are widely available on the market, will be allowed to operate for many years.
Moreover, data available on czystepowietrze.gov.pl show that over the years, interest in subsidies for biomass (pellet) boilers has been growing particularly strongly. In recent years, the popularity of air-source heat pumps had been increasing, but a clear decline was recorded in 2024. In 2023, as many as 50.64 percent of applications concerned such pumps, but in 2024 it was only 25.96 percent. In every month from April to August 2025, over 70 percent of applications concerned biomass boilers, and just over 20 percent concerned heat pumps.
This means that recently Poles have been opting for a renewable source in the form of pellets, but at the same time one that is an emitting source. Overall data from the beginning of the program, i.e., from 2018 to the end of August 2025, show that in the history of Clean Air the largest number of applications concerned condensing gas boilers (32.1 percent), air-source heat pumps (29.5 percent), and biomass boilers (27.6 percent). At the same time, gas boilers have been losing the most popularity in recent years. Only 6 percent of subsidy applications for this source were submitted in August 2025.
According to official statistics from the Clean Air program, from the start of the program to January 16, 2026, subsidies totaling PLN 19,439,780,537 have been paid out.