What We Do

Reduce your energy bills and your emissions

Going green will help you to reduce your energy bills as well as your carbon emissions. The government wants to help you to do so by providing a range of grants and learning tools to support you through your decarbonisation journey.

Steps you can take

1. Appoint an Energy Lead

The first step is to appoint someone in your business as your Energy Lead. If they’re new to the role, they might need training around how to manage energy efficiency.

2. Review energy use

Your Energy Lead may then need to engage someone to review your business’s energy use. A Green for Business report, GreenStart report or an SEAI Energy Audit can help you in this regard.

3. Make a plan

Once your review is complete, you can then make your energy reduction plan tailored to your business’s needs. Before you get started, you’ll need your energy bills, water bills, waste bills or weight data and company travel/freight data to hand.

4. Act quickly

Your plan will identify the recommendations your business needs to take, from upgrading your lighting system to replacing your fridges. There is a grant of up to €5,000 available in order for you to make those recommendations a reality in a very short period of time.

If you run a retail or hospitality business, in the coming weeks you will be able to avail of a grant of up to €8,000 towards eligible costs run by the Local Enterprise Office. Retail businesses can also visit Retail sector in Ireland to find out more about retail supports.

Climate action and energy supports for business

Energy Efficiency Grant

The Energy Efficiency Grant, available through the Local Enterprise Offices, provides funding to small businesses to invest in more energy efficient technology. It supports the investment in technologies and equipment identified in a Green for Business, GreenStart Report or a SEAI Energy Audit with 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum grant of €5,000. The government has announced it intends to increase the maximum grant amount to €8,000 for applicants in the retail and hospitality sector. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses.  

Climate Toolkit 4 Business

Climate Toolkit 4 Business allows SMEs to input some simple information to get an estimate of their carbon footprint. It will use this information to generate a personalised action plan and recommend those supports that are relevant to help each business reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs.

SEAI Energy Academy

The SEAI Energy Academy is a free, online, e-learning platform designed to help businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their energy related costs. The SEAI Energy Academy allowsanyone to learn with short,interactive, animatedmodules. It is mobile friendlyand offers flexible, self-paced learning with access available 24/7.

Energy audits

The Support Scheme for Energy Audits - SEAI offers a €2,000 voucher to SMEs to undertake a bespoke energy audit of their business. The SEAI energy audit is an important step for businesses that want to save money, save energy and enhance their brand.

Water conservation for business hub

Help protect Ireland's water supply and cut down on business costs. Learn how your business can make a difference by conserving water with the water conservation for business - Uisce Éireann.

EPA resources

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a number of resources available for business such as greening resources for businesscarbon footprint calculators and EPA tool for resource efficiency.

Steps to energy efficiency

Steps to energy efficiency - SEAI sets out five steps which your business can take to begin its energy efficiency journey.

Skills to Advance

The green skills programmes - SOLAS aims to boost awareness of the key environmental sustainability issues that affect employers and employees and to equip them with the skills to make a positive contribution to sustainability in the workplace. 

Green for Business

Green for Business is open to enterprises with up to 50 employees. Qualifying businesses will access two days of intensive mentoring including a sustainability audit and action plan, designed to help 'green' their business. This programme offers free advice and technical support on resource efficiency, how to better understand their carbon footprint and how to implement an environmental management system to reduce costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The support is free of charge for eligible enterprises and represents the potential for increased efficiencies. 

SEAI Large Industry Energy Network (LIEN)

The Large Industry Energy Network (LIEN) - SEAI members are companies with an annual energy spend of €1 million or more. SEAI work with these companies to improve their energy performance and assist them to lead on the transition, and inspire others to take action, by sharing their experience. Special working groups within the Network have developed best practice guides on how manage energy performance. LIEN members report annually on energy consumption and projects undertaken to help increase efficiency. Companies are eligible if they are either spending at least €1 million on energy annually, or are certified to or pursuing ISO 50001 certification

Planning, preparation and training

Climate Ready Programme (Skillnet)

Climate Ready: Talent for Ireland's Green Economy - Skillnet Ireland offers leadership and skills support for enterprises who want to develop their operational and strategic sustainability.

Green Transition Fund

The Green Transition Fund supports companies at every step of their decarbonisation journey – from initial planning and capability building to investment, research and innovation.

Improving your business with funding

Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme

The Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme - Enterprise Ireland assists viable but vulnerable firms of all sizes in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. There are two streams of funding under the Scheme: the first will assist firms suffering liquidity problems as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the second will also help those impacted by severe rises in energy costs.

Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme

The Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme from the SEAI has now been amended to extend supports, with new funding ranges from €2,700 to €162,600, to support an even wider range of businesses to switch to solar. The updated scheme provides tiered grant supports for Solar PV installation up to 1000 kWp (1MW) capacity. This scheme helps towards the installation of solar PV for your business, farm, school, community centres, or other non-profit organisation. Solar PV technology reduces commercial electricity costs and increases security of supply, while enhancing a positive sustainability image.

The increase capacity of Solar PV available under this grant ensures a wider range of businesses can now invest in renewable energy. The scale of installation grant funding is extended for installation sizes greater than 6 kWp up to 1000 kWp. The amended scheme will be available to businesses through SEAI from mid July 2023.

 The updated grant for 6kWp will remain unchanged up to €2,400 but now includes an additional: 

  • €300/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 7kWp -20kWp
  • €200/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 21kWp- 200kWp
  • €150/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 201kWp-1000kWp

EXEED Grant Scheme

The EXEED Grant Scheme - SEAI is designed for organisations who are planning an energy investment project. Grant support of up to €1,000,000 per project is available.

Support Scheme for Renewable Heat  

The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat - SEAI is open to commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector and other non-domestic heat users. The scheme offers 30% of installation costs of selected renewable technologies as well a multi-annual payment, for a period of up to 15 years.

Community Grant

The Grants for Sustainable Community Projects - SEAI support energy efficiency community projects through capital funding, partnerships, and technical support with grant supports up to €5,000,000. The scheme empowers Businesses, Public Sector Organisations, Communities, Housing Associations and Local Authorities to lead deep energy efficient upgrades on the buildings. The SEAI advises that this scheme is particularly suitable for smaller businesses, who can avail of the support and expertise of the project coordinators.

Accelerated Capital Allowance

For businesses who want to reduce their tax bill and energy costs, the Accelerated Capital Allowance - SEAI is a tax incentive encouraging investment in energy saving technology. Companies, sole traders and farmers that operate and pay corporation tax in Ireland can avail of the ACA scheme. View a list of the technologies and products on the Triple E Products Register - SEAI.

Electric Vehicle Grants (SEAI) – co-funding

The Electric Vehicle Grants - SEAI provides grant supports towards the purchase of new N1 category electric vehicles for business and public entities.  N1 category vehicles are typically small goods carrying vans with a technically permissible maximum mass not exceeding 3500kg. A maximum grant of €3,800 is available for qualifying N1 category BEVs when purchased commercially.

Energy Contracting Support Scheme

The Energy Contracting Support Scheme - SEAI provides financial assistance to implement energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects. The Scheme aims to support the direct external consultancy and/or specialist advisory costs related to project appraisal and procurement of pay-for-performance energy contracts. Find out more about Energy Contracting.

Other general supports that may assist business at this time

Given the simultaneous impact of Brexit, COVID-19 and the Ukraine crisis on businesses, the State backed loan schemes will meet the needs of many SMEs seeking to respond to these economic shocks. The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and the finance providers participating in the State backed loan schemes can advise SMEs on their eligibility for these loans. 

Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme 

The Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme will make up to €500 million in longer-term lending available to SMEs, including farmers and fishers and small mid-caps. Loans of between €25,000 and €3 million, with terms of up to 10 years and attractive terms and conditions, will be made available through the scheme to eligible SMEs through participating finance providers, with loans of up to €500,000 available unsecured. 

The scheme will target a minimum of 30% of the lending volume towards environmental sustainability purposes with the aim of encouraging SMEs to take positive actions in support of the climate change agenda. Up to 70% of lending will be for strategic investments with a view to increasing productivity and competitiveness and thus underpinning future business sustainability and growth.       

Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme

The Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme facilitates up to €1.2 billion in lending to eligible businesses. The scheme offers a partial government guarantee (80%) to participating finance providers against losses on qualifying finance agreements to eligible SMEs, small Mid-Caps and primary producers.

Loans under the scheme range from €10,000 to €1 million, for terms of up to six years. Financing is offered through a range of products, including term loans, working capital loans and overdrafts. Loans of up to €250,000 under the scheme are available unsecured (except where this is a requirement of the product feature, as in the case of asset finance, invoice discount facilities, and so on).

The initial product supported for the scheme is a term loan. The scheme is operated by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) through participating finance providers. 

Microfinance Ireland loan packages

Microfinance Ireland (MFI) provide loans to help start-ups and established microenterprises (businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of less than €2 million) to get the finance they need for their business. MFI provides vital support to microenterprises by filling the lending gap in the market by lending to business that cannot obtain loans from other commercial lenders. Also, mentoring can be provided from an experienced business mentor in the Local Enterprise Office (LEO). Loans range from €5,000 to €25,000 for up to 5 years per eligible microenterprise business.

Lean for Business

The Lean for Business - Local Enterprise Office programme is available to all microenterprises, and small business with up to 50 employees who are not Enterprise Ireland/IDA clients. Lean for Business helps to build resilience within enterprises.

Under this programme, clients can avail of consultancy support with a LEAN Expert (a qualified practitioner), who will work with the company to introduce lean principles, undertake a specific cost savings project, and assist the company in benchmarking its performance.

The LEO Lean for Business programme helps to:

  • identify issues and potential improvement areas
  • provide support to implement
  • achieve savings and improvements in capability and capacity to deliver

Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme

Through the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme - SEAI, energy providers (gas, electricity and solid fuel) have an obligation to help customers decarbonise – contact any of these providers (known as Obligated Parties) to assess available support options.