The Communities Energy Grant is your pathway to funding and support for energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. Commercial and SMEs can secure up to 30% of capital costs for their projects, empowering them to adopt sustainable practices. This grant program offers capital funding, partnerships, and technical assistance, ensuring successful energy efficiency implementation in community projects.

From smaller ventures starting at €50k to substantial projects ranging between €1m and €2m, a wide range of eligible costs can be covered. With a community-oriented and cross-sectoral approach, this program supports various sectors, including domestic, public, private, and community buildings.

The Community Grant programme is delivered by registered SEAI Project Co-ordinators. View the full list of registered Coordinators here.

This SEAI scheme offers upgrades for the following commercial measures:

• Insulation
• Heating
• Cooling
• Air Conditioning
• Refrigeration
• Air Curtains
• Heat Recovery Units

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The SEAI Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA) is a program designed to help businesses in Ireland, save energy and reduce their carbon emissions through energy audits. Here is a step-by-step summary of the SSEA process:

1. Applicant Eligibility:
   • The SSEA is open to SMEs and non-obligated commercial or public sector entities.
   • The residential sector and obligated entities, as defined by the European Energy Efficiency Directive, are not eligible.
2. Facility Eligibility:
   • The Facility must spend at least €10,000 per year on energy (excluding transport energy).
   • Derelict, unoccupied, or soon-to-be-demolished/re-purposed premises are not eligible.
   • Businesses that have already received an audit under the SSEA cannot apply for another voucher.
3. Auditor Eligibility:
   • Auditors must be registered on SEAI’s Register of Energy Auditors and agree to the SSEA’s Terms and Conditions.
4. Level of Support:
   • The support offered is a Voucher with a value of €2,000.
   • The Voucher can be used to acquire an Energy Audit for the Facility, with the cost covered either fully or partially.
   • Businesses spending more than €50,000 on energy may need to pay the difference between the Voucher value and the actual audit cost.
5. Eligible Expenditure:
   • The Voucher can only be used to obtain an Energy Audit from a registered Energy Auditor.
   • Eligible costs include preparation, analysis of energy bills, site visit and associated costs, advice on energy efficiency improvements, and preparation and submission of the Energy Audit report.
6. SSEA Process:
   • Pre-audit: Applicant confirms eligibility, contacts an Auditor from the list of registered Energy Auditors participating in SSEA, and applies through the SSEA Application Portal to receive the Voucher.
   • Audit: Site visit takes place, and the Auditor produces the SSEA Report within 10 working days after the visit.
   • Post-audit: Applicant and Auditor sign the Completion of Works form, and the Auditor submits the Audit Report to SEAI for payment.

The SSEA is suitable for businesses as it provides financial support to obtain energy audits, which can identify energy-saving opportunities, improve energy efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions.

The Energy Efficiency Grant supports the investment in technologies and equipment of enterprises following on from a Green for Business Report, GreenStart Report or a SEAI Energy Audit with 75% of eligible costs from a minimum grant of €1,000 to a maximum of €10,000. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses, to operate in a sustainable manner.  The support provided should be to support the recommendations of one of the above reports.

Who is Eligible for the Grant?

• The Energy Efficiency Grant is open to small enterprises (with between 1 and 50 paid employees) who:
• have undertaken a Green for Business, Green Start or SEAI Energy Audit.
• are not currently clients of Enterprise Ireland or IDA.
• are established and trading for at least 12 months, registered, and operate within the area of the Local Enterprise Office.
• this grant aid is considered not to give rise to unacceptable deadweight (where the project would have proceeded anyway).
• are solvent as demonstrated in the financial statements supplied.
• have either, a fixed premises that is commercially rateable. Businesses will be required to supply a commercial rates bill to verify this, or be an establishment which is approved within the Fáilte Ireland National Quality Assurance Framework. Businesses will be required to supply approval documentation to verify this.
• Any business that has a commercially rateable premises, or where rates are paid on their behalf and attributable in the rental or other agreement to the business premises they occupy, can apply.
• Commercially rateable premises, where a business is rateable but is not currently rated by Valuation Office for a variety of reasons, can apply. Businesses will be required to submit documentation from a Local Authority demonstrating that they have a commercially rateable premises that is not currently rated.
• Own the building/premises where the investment will take place or must hold a lease agreement on same, with at least 12 months remaining or agreed option to renew.
• Where an enterprise has multiple business premises, it can apply for projects across each premises, subject to the overall limits set out per undertaking.
• A company, self-employed individual or partnership carrying on a trade or profession, the profits of which are chargeable to tax under Case I or Case II of Schedule D by virtue of section 18(2) of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 (TCA). Pay As You Go (PAYG) customers are within the scope of the scheme
• Sporting bodies that carry on activities which would be chargeable to tax under Case I or II of Schedule D but for an exemption set out in section 235 TCA are eligible to apply to the scheme.
• Charities that carry on activities that would be chargeable to tax as trading income, but for an available tax exemption under section 208 TCA, are also included within the scope of the scheme.
• Businesses must have current tax clearance from Revenue. Businesses must supply a Tax Reference Number and a Tax Clearance Access Number to allow for verification of their Tax Clearance status on Revenue’s online portal.

Ineligible Businesses
• Are operating solely from a domestic/home based office.
• Companies with charitable status, commercial semi-state companies, “not for profit” organisations – which do not meet the above criteria, trade associations, company representation bodies such as Chambers of Commerce, Sporting Bodies – which do not meet the above criteria and other non-commercial bodies or associations are not eligible to avail of the Small Capital Grants.
• Are operating in the coal or steel sector.
• Are active in the primary agricultural, fishery or aquaculture sectors.
• * Are involved in activities that Local Enterprise Offices considers as ineligible or as involving an unacceptable reputational risk. Ineligible activities include activities relating to: The gambling sector, including ‘gaming’ (as defined in the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956). Adult entertainment. Tobacco and tobacco related products. Cannabis-based products which are not authorised as medicines.

Eligible Costs

• Meters (electricity, gas, diesel, oil, water, steam & loggers) and installation costs
• Smart energy controls e.g., heating, cooling, lighting, automatic on/off systems, parasitic load controls
• Upgrade lighting to LED (only as part of a package of eligible cost measures)
• Replacement/upgrade with more energy efficient system, e.g. Heat Pumps (including air, water, and ground source) for manufacturing heating processes
• Heat recovery
• Technology/Equipment replacement/upgrade must be more energy efficient than what was in place at time of application, and can only be replaced/upgraded if it is greater than 5 years old. Examples of eligible technology/equipment include refrigeration units, electric steam boiler, electric oven and an industrial dishwasher.
• Small wind turbine & hydro generator (Subject to a pre-investment technical assessment by the LEO to confirm site and proposed capital investment suitability, identifying any technical risks or uncertainties. It should also be noted that Local Authority planning permission is required to install either a small wind turbine or hydro generator. Applicants must submit a copy of their Local Authority Planning Permission Approval as part of their application.)
• Investment in energy and resource efficient systems
• Food waste systems. (For Anaerobic Digestors and land spreading of Anaerobic Digestor digestate, either planning permission approval/permit, or, a letter from the appropriate regulatory authority confirming planning permission/permit is not required, must be submitted as part of the application. Projects must comply with relevant EU and national environmental legislation and where applicable applicants must provide confirmation that appropriate Anaerobic Digestors digestate storage is in place and procedures for the disposal of excess Anaerobic Digestors digestate are in place (i.e., waste shall be collected for off-site disposal or recovery by a contractor who is in possession of a Waste Collection Permit)
• Water management systems (Applicant must submit project outline (providing details of capital costs and reduced environmental impacts) to LEO for eligibility review in advance of application)
• Circular economy systems (Applicant must submit project outline (providing details of capital costs and reduced environmental impacts) to LEO for eligibility review in advance of application)
• Sustainable packaging equipment/technology (Applicant must submit project outline (providing details of capital costs and reduced environmental impacts) to LEO for eligibility review in advance of application)
• Eligible costs are equipment costs including installation and commissioning costs, where the equipment cost must be more than the commissioning and installation cost. Replacement/upgrade/new technologies and equipment for which the investment is applied for should meet the new criteria of the SEAI Triple E register if within the Triple E register scope. When the new Triple E register platform is operational, technologies and equipment in scope should be listed on the Triple E register. If not in scope, evidence is required to show improved energy efficiency and, if applicable, other reduced environmental impacts.

Ineligible Costs

• Solar panels: a Solar PV grant is available under SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme
• Biomass and biogas boilers, 
• Building energy upgrades’, E.g., heat pump for space heating, insulation, pumps, heat recovery on ventilation systems
• Insulation
• Waste treatment systems
• Activities related to fossil fuel e.g., fossil fuel condenser boiler.
• Mobile assets such as electric forklifts, air compressors etc.

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The Non-Domestic Microgen Grant (NDMG) provides financial assistance to help businesses and other sectors to install solar PV panels to generate electricity on site. This technology reduces commercial electricity costs and increases security of supply, while enhancing a positive sustainability image. Grant funding is available for systems up to a maximum 1000kWp.

Who can apply?
This grant is available to:

• Businesses
• The agricultural sector
• Public sector bodies
• Schools
• Community centres
• Non-profit societies

Planning Permission Exemptions for rooftop solar panels on homes and other buildings (October 2022):

For solar panel installations on rooftops of all other existing classes of development (Industrial; Light Industrial and Business Premises; Agricultural, Apartments; educational building/ health centre or hospital/ recreational or sports facility/ place of worship/ community facility or centre/ library/ certain public utility sites): rooftop solar installations covering the entire roof are exempt from requiring planning permission.

However, in the 43 designated Solar Safeguarding Zones, a rooftop limit remains:

Exemptions for wall-mounted and free-standing solar panel installations: free-standing solar panel installations for houses are exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission subject to a 25 square metre area limit and conditions requiring a certain amount of private open space to be maintained for the use of occupants.

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This support scheme provides financial support to help businesses move to renewable heating.

Supports available for renewable heating systems

There are two different financial supports available when your business switches to renewable heat. The financial supports include:

• Operational support for a biomass and biogas heating systems
• An installation grant for a commercial heat pump.

Who can apply

SSRH is open to commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector and other non-domestic heat users.

Applicants must be able to show:

• conversion from fossil fuels
• eligible heat use (space heating or process)
• compliance with eco-design standards
• heating system design according to building regulations and other relevant regulations
• qualified designers who are competent to carry out works
• that recipients of payments meet tax clearance requirements

For more information click here