Cyprus homeowners considering solar in 2026 face a different financing landscape from a year ago. The 2024–2025 Σχέδιο Χορηγιών ΑΠΕ-ΕΞΕ Κατοικίες ("Φωτοβολταϊκά στην κατοικία μου") closed on 20 December 2025, and as of May 2026 no 2026 successor scheme is open for submissions (resecfund.org.cy). On the same date the country moved from net-metering to net-billing for new installs, which reduces the value of exports relative to self-consumption. Verified May 2026.
The financing path matters more than it used to. Four Cyprus retail banks publish a "green" home-improvement loan today, and only one of them publishes the APR — making head-to-head comparison harder than it looks at first.
The published market
| Lender | Product | Term | APR | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancoria Bank | Eco Home Improvement Loan | 1–10 yrs | 4.95% APR (published representative example) | €5,000 – €75,000 | ancoriabank.com |
| Bank of Cyprus | Energy Loan for Photovoltaic & Other Systems | up to 7 yrs | Rate on application (consumer-loan range cited 5.14–7.35% in Feb 2025) | up to €15,000 | bankofcyprus.com |
| Hellenic Bank | Green Loan (unsecured / secured) | up to 7 / 10 yrs | Rate on application (−1.00pp vs consumer) | up to €30,000 unsecured | hellenicbank.com |
| Eurobank Cyprus | Green Loan (unsecured / secured) | up to 7 / 10 yrs | Rate on application (−1.00pp vs consumer) | up to €30,000 unsecured | eurobank.cy |
Worked example — €15,000, 6 kWp + 10 kWh battery
Using a constant 5.50% APR as the assumed rate for the three Big Three banks whose APRs are not published, the monthly payment lands as follows (formula: M = P·r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n)):
- Ancoria Eco Home Improvement, 10 years at 4.95% APR — ~€158/month. The lowest published-rate option in Cyprus.
- Hellenic Green (secured, 10 yrs assumed 5.5%) — ~€163/month. Requires collateral.
- Hellenic / Eurobank Green (unsecured, 7 yrs assumed 5.5%) — ~€216/month. No collateral.
- Bank of Cyprus Energy (7 yrs at the consumer-loan midpoint) — ~€216/month, capped at €15,000 so no battery headroom.
The grant that closed
The 2024–2025 scheme paid €375/kWp (cap €1,500) under category A1, €1,250/kWp (cap €6,250) for vulnerable households under A2, and €250/kWp (cap €1,000) plus €4,500 repayable via EAC bill under A3 (resecfund.org.cy). The portal explicitly states there are no support schemes open at the time of writing. A successor "Εξοικονομώ – Αναβαθμίζω 2026" is referenced in the Ministry of Industry's FAQ but has no published opening date.
Net-billing replaced net-metering on 1 January 2026
The new export tariff is €0.105/kWh (the wholesale rate) versus the retail-rate offset under net-metering. Self-consumption is now roughly three times more valuable than export. The practical implication for an installer's quote: batteries are now meaningfully more attractive in payback terms, and over-sizing the array past annual usage is less attractive than it used to be.
What an installer's IRR card will show in 2026
On a properly priced 6 kWp + 10 kWh-battery system using net-billing rates, Cyprus solar in 2026 still typically lands at a 6–8 year payback and a 12–16% IRR for cash purchase. With a 10-year Ancoria loan at 4.95% covering the full ticket, the monthly bill saving (~€175 in Year 1) exceeds the monthly loan payment (~€158) from month one — so the after-financing position is positive from day one even with no government grant.