North Macedonia tackles energy poverty with free inverter air conditioners

North Macedonia’s Ministry of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources has invited households in energy poverty to apply for free inverter air conditioners and financial aid to help cover electricity bills. The ministry issued two separate public calls under the 2025 program to assist households classified as vulnerable electricity consumers.

Inverter air conditioners (ACs) with a capacity of up to 3.5 kW and an energy class of at least A+, which improve energy efficiency, will be granted to low-income households. The aid includes free installation.

Eligible households are those whose total net monthly income in 2024 did not exceed MKD 25,000 (around EUR 406) for a single-person household, MKD 31,000 (around EUR 504) for a two-person household, MKD 37,000 (around EUR 601) for a three-person household, and MKD 43,000 (around EUR 699) for households with four or more members.

The budget allocated for inverter ACs for low-income households is MKD 120 million (around EUR 1.95 million), according to the public call.

Households whose only source of income is a pension are also eligible for this type of support, provided that in 2024 their monthly pension did not exceed MKD 15,700 (around EUR 255) for a single-person household, MKD 19,800 (around EUR 322) for a two-person household, and MKD 23,700 (around EUR 385) for households with three or more members. The total budget for this group is MKD 50 million (around EUR 813,000).

The overall budget for inverter ACs is around EUR 2.76 million

Households that have received a subsidy for purchasing an AC or a pellet stove in the past five years, and those connected to a district heating system, are not eligible for free inverter ACs, according to the public call. The application deadline is October 5, 2025.

For financial support to cover electricity bills, eligible households include those with one or more members who have severe intellectual disabilities, the most severe physical disabilities, total vision impairment, or complete hearing impairment.

The application deadline for this public call is the end of August 2025.