How to choose a reliable contractor for the Clean Air programme?
The contractor you choose will determine whether your subsidized project is a blessing or a two-decade headache. The subsidy pays part of the bill; it does not install the equipment, honour the warranty or answer the phone in January. Based on hundreds of projects we have advised on, here is our practical checklist.
1. They should welcome the audit, not fear it
A good contractor wants to know the building's real heat loss before quoting a heat pump, boiler or insulation package. If someone offers a fixed price “without any audits”, they are guessing with your money – and guessing always in their favour. A contractor who asks for the audit report before preparing an offer is a contractor who intends to size the equipment correctly.
2. They know the programme rules
Ask which works are eligible, what documentation they will provide, and how the settlement works. A contractor experienced with Clean Air answers without hesitation: which devices are on the eligible list, what the audit must contain, which invoices the settlement requires, and how long you have to complete the works. Vague answers here predict formal problems later – and it is you, not the contractor, who loses the subsidy when documentation fails.
3. They give itemised offers
One number for “everything” hides both padding and omissions. Demand a breakdown: equipment, materials, labour, electrical work, commissioning, documentation. Itemisation lets you compare offers honestly, and it is what the subsidy settlement will effectively require anyway. If two offers differ by 30%, only an itemised comparison will tell you which one is overpriced and which one quietly left something out.
4. They show references you can call
Not photos on a phone – actual previous customers, ideally with projects similar to yours and at least a year old. Ask those customers three questions: Did the final cost match the offer? Did the savings match the promise? And how did the contractor behave when something went wrong? The third answer is the only one that really matters.
5. They put warranties in writing
Equipment warranty, workmanship warranty, service response time – all three, in the contract, with numbers. “We always take care of our customers” is not a warranty; it is a hope. A contractor who resists writing down what they already claim verbally is telling you how they will behave after the final payment.
6. They never ask for the full amount upfront
Sensible advances exist and are normal. 100% prepayment is a warning sign, because it removes every incentive to finish well or finish at all. A payment schedule tied to completed stages – materials delivered, installation done, commissioning documented – protects both sides and is what a confident contractor will accept without argument.
Red flags, summarised
- Prices valid “only today” or “the subsidy is running out”.
- Discouraging you from an audit or from independent advice.
- One lump-sum price, no itemisation.
- References that are only photos, or none at all.
- Warranties promised verbally but absent from the contract.
- Full payment before any work is done.
And one more thing: be suspicious of anyone who discourages you from getting independent advice. An honest contractor has nothing to fear from a foundation that checks the numbers. Bring any offer to our information point in Rzeszów – comparing it with the audit and the programme rules costs you nothing and has saved our visitors many thousands of złoty.