ETICS Vienna the external insulation that also works in period buildings.
ETICS Vienna: from the construction company that does the work — not from an agent.
ETICS Vienna: an external thermal insulation composite system costs 120 to 190 euros per square metre of facade area in Vienna. EPS €95–150/m², mineral wool €125–190/m², each with an insulation thickness of 14 to 20 cm. Plus scaffolding at €12 to €22 per m² per month. THEWOSAN subsidises thermal measures.
ETICS Vienna: costs 2026
Net guide prices, as of 2026, binding after measurement. The insulation material accounts for part of the difference; the larger part lies in the substrate, reveals and junctions.
| System | Insulation thickness | Net price | What for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS white or grey | 14–20 cm | €95–150/m² | Standard up to a building height of 22 m |
| Mineral wool lamella | 14–20 cm | €125–190/m² | non-combustible, mandatory from 22 m |
| Wood fibre | 14–22 cm | €150–230/m² | ecological, vapour-permeable, good protection against summer heat |
| Phenolic (resol) foam | 8–12 cm | €170–250/m² | when space is short, the same effect at half the thickness |
| Perimeter insulation for the plinth | 8–14 cm | €110–180/m² | pressure-resistant, moisture-insensitive, in contact with the ground |
Unit prices, so you can check a quote
| Item | Unit | Net price | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaffolding incl. protective netting | m²/month | 12–22 € | Erection and dismantling, anchoring, standing time |
| Checking and cleaning the substrate | m² | 6–18 € | Tapping, cleaning, bonding primer |
| Knocking off old plaster at hollow areas | m² | 18–45 € | Knocking off, disposal, re-plastering |
| Bonding and dowelling insulation boards | m² | 55–95 € | Adhesive mortar, boards, dowels according to wind suction calculation |
| Reinforcement layer with mesh | m² | 22–38 € | Reinforcing mortar, glass fibre mesh, diagonal reinforcement |
| Finishing plaster, mineral or silicone resin | m² | 18–36 € | Primer, plaster, texture |
| Reveal insulation at windows | lin. m | 28–65 € | Insulating wedge, plaster stop bead, sealing tape |
| Aluminium window sill incl. junction | lin. m | 55–120 € | Cutting, brackets, installation, sealing |
| Base profile with drip edge | lin. m | 18–38 € | Aluminium, alignment, installation |
| Mineral wool fire barrier | lin. m | 35–75 € | with EPS above 22 m, continuous on every storey |
| Insulating roller shutter boxes | pcs | 140–380 € | Insulation, junction, inspection opening |
| Dismantling and reinstalling lightning protection | lump sum | 1.200–4.000 € | by a licensed electrician, with test report |
| Relocating canopies and brackets | pcs | 180–650 € | Removal, spacers, reinstallation |
| Energy performance certificate before and after | pcs | 450–1.200 € | Prerequisite for the THEWOSAN subsidy |
| Parking lane permit, information for neighbours | lump sum | 600–2.400 € | MA 46, notices, coordination |
Total around €81,000 net, which is €203/m² including all ancillary services. With a 35 % subsidy through an approved basic refurbishment, around €52,600 remains.
How an ETICS is built up, layer by layer
Which insulation material for what
| Insulation material | Lambda value | Fire behaviour | Strengths and limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS white | 0,038–0,040 | flame-retardant | inexpensive, light, standard up to 22 m. Not vapour-permeable |
| EPS grey with graphite | 0,031–0,033 | flame-retardant | better insulation at the same thickness, sensitive to sun during installation |
| Mineral wool lamella | 0,040–0,042 | non-combustible | mandatory from 22 m, vapour-permeable, heavier and more expensive |
| Wood fibre | 0,040–0,045 | normally flammable | very good protection against summer heat, ecological, higher price |
| Phenolic (resol) foam | 0,022–0,025 | flame-retardant | half the thickness for the same effect when space is short. Expensive |
The lambda value indicates how well a material insulates – the smaller, the better. Graphite EPS with 0.032 achieves the same effect at 16 cm as white EPS at 20 cm. This is relevant when the insulation cannot be made as thick as desired, for example at the property boundary or at window reveals.
How thick should the insulation be?
14 to 20 cm is the usual range in Vienna. Below that the effort is hardly worthwhile, because scaffolding, reveals and junctions are needed regardless of the insulation thickness. Above that the gain becomes small: going from 16 to 24 cm brings less than going from 0 to 8. For the THEWOSAN subsidy, the verified U-value is decisive, not the number of centimetres.
Where ETICS is not possible in Vienna
- Protection zone, street side. MA 19 assesses every change to the appearance. On articulated Gründerzeit facades with stucco, cornices and window surrounds, ETICS on the street side is regularly not approved – the articulation would be lost.
- Listed properties. There the Federal Monuments Office also decides.
- At the property boundary. 16 cm of insulation sometimes crosses the boundary with the neighbouring plot. Vienna has rules for this that must be clarified beforehand.
- With damp masonry. An ETICS over rising damp traps it. First a horizontal damp-proof course, then insulation – see Wall damp-proofing Vienna.
- On a loose substrate. Anything that sounds hollow is knocked off. Without this preparatory work, the system later comes away together with the old plaster.
The usual solution for a Viennese period apartment building: repair the street facade and supplement the stucco, insulate the courtyard facade. This delivers most of the energy effect and remains approvable. More on Facade renovation Vienna.
Fire protection: what OIB Guideline 2 requires
For buildings with an escape level above 22 m, non-combustible insulation materials are mandatory – in practice mineral wool. Below that, EPS is permitted, but from certain heights with continuous mineral wool fire barriers above every storey and above window openings. These barriers cost €35 to €75 per linear metre and are not an extra but a requirement. Anyone receiving an offer without this item should ask about it.
Subsidies 2026
| Programme | What is subsidised | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
| THEWOSAN | thermal-energy refurbishment, grant per m² of insulated area | Energy performance certificate before and after, verified improvement |
| Basic refurbishment wohnfonds_wien | up to 40 % of eligible costs as part of the overall refurbishment | Buildings from before 1945, tenant participation, submission before construction starts |
| Federal subsidy | thermal refurbishment, partly combinable | separate application, depends on the programme |
| Condominium ownership | Subsidy via the owners' association | Resolution, financing from the reserve fund |
The eight most expensive mistakes in ETICS work
- Bonding onto loose old plaster. The system comes away together with the substrate within a few years – a total loss.
- Reveals not insulated. The thermal bridge remains; in winter, mould at the internal corner of the window.
- Too few dowels. Without a wind suction calculation, especially at building corners where the forces are greatest.
- No diagonal reinforcement at window corners. That is where every crack starts.
- Plinth without perimeter insulation. Ordinary EPS absorbs moisture in the splash zone.
- Mixing systems. Adhesive from one manufacturer, boards from a second, plaster from a third – this voids any system warranty.
- Leaving out fire barriers. Not just a defect but a breach of OIB Guideline 2.
- Starting without MA 19 clarification. Removal at your own expense, plus proceedings.
How to check an ETICS offer
Who we insulate for
Tenement building owners
Insulate the courtyard facade, repair the street facade, make full use of subsidies. Coordination with MA 19 and wohnfonds_wien included.
Property management companies
An auditable bill of quantities for the resolution, with variants in insulation thickness and material, including cost implications.
Homeowners
Facade, plinth and windows in one go. One scaffold, one point of contact, one date.
Developers
ETICS as a subcontract on new builds or refurbishments, on schedule, with measurement according to ÖNORM and our own site management.
When you do not need us
If your facade faces the street in a protection zone, first clarify with MA 19 whether insulation is permitted at all – that costs nothing and saves a cost estimate that will never be implemented. If the masonry is damp, the horizontal damp-proof course must be installed first. And if a basic refurbishment of the building is due anyway, the ETICS belongs in it: scaffolding and procedures are then needed only once, and the subsidy rate is higher than for an individual measure.
External thermal insulation composite systems for houses in Hietzing (1130)
For facade insulation, Hietzing is a district of two halves. In the old village centre around Hietzinger Hauptstraße and in some villa quarters, protection zones apply, and there usually only repairs are possible on the street side. In the detached-house and housing-estate areas further west, on the other hand, an external thermal insulation composite system for houses in 1130 Vienna is generally permitted and economical, because many walls from the inter-war and post-war periods are thin and poorly insulated. Below a building height of 22 m, EPS without fire barriers is sufficient there.
The details on which such houses fail are different from those in a period apartment building. The roof overhang becomes shorter by the insulation thickness – with 16 cm of insulation it may be necessary to extend the verge so that rain does not run onto the new facade. Cellar stairs, light wells and terrace junctions require pressure-resistant perimeter insulation in the plinth. And the boundary wall to the neighbour may not simply grow onto their land: where the house stands on the property boundary, the insulation needs their consent or a solution on the inside.
Thermal insulation systems compared: ETICS, ventilated facade, insulating plaster
Anyone searching for thermal insulation systems in Vienna almost always ends up with ETICS. But it is only one of three common systems. In the composite system, the insulation board, reinforcement and plaster are bonded to the wall as one unit; it is the cheapest option per square metre and therefore the standard. The rainscreen ventilated facade separates insulation and weather protection: mineral wool sits on a substructure, with cladding made of fibre cement, timber or metal in front of it with an air gap. It costs considerably more but is more robust, easy to repair and the more compatible choice for damp masonry. Insulating plasters, finally, add only a few centimetres and thus come nowhere near the effect of a board – they are a solution for facades where every centimetre counts, for example on articulation that is to be preserved. Which system fits is decided by the substrate. An overview of all options is given on the facade insulation page.
A bid comparison for ETICS offers: how to compare correctly
Three offers with three totals say little as long as each contains something different. A bid comparison sets the offers side by side item by item: on the left the service from the bill of quantities, next to it the quantity and unit price of each bidder. Only then does it become clear whether one is cheap or has simply left out the reveals. For this to work, everyone must bid on the same bill of quantities – either you have one prepared, or you pass on the most detailed offer to the others as a template.
| Item in the bill of quantities | What to look out for |
|---|---|
| Facade area | How are windows deducted? Does the same measurement rule apply? |
| Insulation board | Material, thickness, lambda value and manufacturer identical? |
| Reveals, window sills | Shown in linear metres or hidden in a lump sum? |
| Scaffolding | Standing time included, price per extra month stated? |
| Ancillary services | Lightning protection, canopies, roller shutter boxes priced separately? |
If an item is missing from one bidder, enter the average of the others in the bid comparison. Afterwards it usually turns out that the totals are closer together than expected. Conspicuously low unit prices for reinforcement or dowels are not a discount but an indication of work being skimped.
Frequently asked questions about ETICS in Vienna
What does an ETICS cost in Vienna?
What does it cost to insulate a 400 m² facade?
What does ETICS mean?
EPS or mineral wool?
What is the difference between white and grey EPS?
What does the lambda value tell you?
How thick should the insulation be?
How much does facade insulation save?
ETICS: may I insulate the street facade?
What about the neighbouring plot?
Do the window reveals have to be insulated as well?
What happens to the window sills?
What are fire barriers?
How many dowels does an ETICS need?
Why do the dowels show through on some buildings?
What is the reinforcement layer?
Which finishing plaster is the right one?
Why do insulated facades get algae?
Can an ETICS be applied over old plaster?
Can an old ETICS be over-insulated?
What does removing an old ETICS cost?
What about moisture in the masonry?
What is perimeter insulation?
How long does an ETICS last?
How long does the work take?
Can insulation be applied in winter?
ETICS: which subsidies are available?
ETICS: when must the subsidy application be submitted?
Do I need an energy performance certificate?
ETICS: do I need a building permit?
ETICS: who pays in a rented building?
ETICS: who pays in a condominium?
What happens to the lightning protection?
What about roller shutter boxes?
What about canopies, brackets and satellite dishes?
Can things be fixed to the insulated facade afterwards?
Does the sound insulation change?
Will it be warmer or cooler in summer?
Do I have to change my ventilation habits?
What is a system warranty?
What warranty do I get?
How much does the scaffolding darken the flats?
Is the scaffolding a burglary risk?
Can just the plinth be insulated?
Do you also do individual facade areas?
ETICS: does Skyline Bau carry out the work itself?
ETICS: is there a fixed price?
ETICS: how quickly will I get an offer?
What does external wall insulation for a detached house cost?
How do I compare ETICS offers with different items?
Does the roof overhang have to be extended when insulating?
Related services
External insulation finished? Glass cleaning after the scaffolding.
After ETICS work, windows are covered in plaster and paint residue. Bling Premium Cleaning takes care of glass and frame cleaning after the scaffolding is dismantled. More at bling-bling.at.
Send enquiry
Enquire directly here — fixed-price quote free of charge. Skyline Bau replies within 2 working days.
Ready for your external insulation?
Write to us directly on WhatsApp — send photos of the facade. Reply within two working days.
Note: Skyline Bau is the brand name of the construction and renovation division of Bling Bling GmbH and is not a separate legal entity. The sole contractual partner is Bling Bling GmbH. Bling Bling GmbH is a restricted construction trade business under § 99 GewO (Austrian Trade Regulation Act) and not a licensed master builder (Baumeister). Under § 99 (5) GewO, the title “Baumeister” is reserved for businesses licensed under § 94 no. 5 GewO. Regulated trades — master-builder services, structural engineering, gas and sanitary engineering, electrical engineering — are carried out exclusively by authorised, licensed partner companies.


