COVID-19 Energy Efficiency Capital Grant (EECG)

Invest NI have opened the second round of applications for the COVID-19 Energy Efficiency Capital Grant.

The COVID-19 Energy Efficient Capital Grant (EECG) has been designed to help businesses recover from COVID-19 and build resilience through green efficiency. It provides grant support of up to £80,000 for the installation of energy efficient equipment that offers greater efficiency in the use of energy, providing cost savings and carbon savings.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 13 September 2021. Applications will be considered on a first-come first-served basis, and applications may close sooner if the budget is fully allocated.

What is available?

Businesses can access a maximum of £80,000 to support 20% of eligible costs to purchase new energy efficient technology.

Examples of eligible projects include:

• LED lighting system including LED luminaries, and lighting controls such as occupancy and daylight sensors.
• Heating and cooling equipment including high efficiency boilers, intelligent heating controls, heat recovery projects, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and refrigeration equipment.
• Replacement drives or motors including variable speed drives (VSD) and high efficiency motors.
• Process insulation including extruder insulation and pipework insulation.
• Other technologies such as high efficiency compressors, energy storage, combined heat and power (CHP), building energy management systems (BEMS) and voltage optimisation.

The following projects will not be eligible for support:

• Projects that solely meet compliance or other legislative energy efficiency requirements.
• Projects that cover on-going software licencing costs.
• In-house personnel costs associated with the project.
• Transport related projects, for example, relating to vehicles, charging points, etc.
• Building fabric projects.
• Equipment leasing or hire purchase agreements. A company is permitted to use company funds, or other unsecured lending, but we do not permit other finance to be secured on the equipment.
• Second hand equipment.
• Ancillary works or additional infrastructure works. For example, should a premises need wiring to accommodate LED lighting, the costs associated with the wiring would not be eligible under this grant scheme. Eligible costs are the capital costs directly associated with the purchase, delivery, installation and commissioning of the equipment.
• Projects where indirect energy savings occur as a result of predominately material efficiency improvements.
• Projects which have already secured funding from other support schemes or incentives.

Detailed guidance notes to support your application can be found here.

Who is eligible?

EECG is open to existing Invest NI customers, and businesses which are eligible to become Invest NI customers. Businesses are eligible if:

– Your business operation is based in Northern Ireland

– You are an Invest NI customer or can demonstrate you can meet the qualifying criteria of:

• reaching a turnover of £250,000 per annum within 5 years;
• achieving at least 25% of those sales outside of Northern Ireland.

– Your project:

• Demonstrates a simple financial payback (before any grant is applied) between one and six years through energy cost savings achieved on-site.
• Has an eligible project spend of £4,000 and £400,000.
• Demonstrates at least 10% carbon emissions savings.

Eligible projects must be fully implemented, including full installation, payment of costs and submission of grant claim, by 5pm on 18 March 2022.

How can I apply?

The first step in the application process is to check if you’re project is eligible. Eligibility can be checked using Invest NI’s eligibility checker here.

You will need the following information to complete the online application form.

• Your business information.
• Detailed project information, including the purpose and benefits of your proposed project.
• Accurate calculations of proposed energy savings using 12 months of typical energy consumption data for your specific project, and how energy consumption will reduce as a result of implementing the energy efficient equipment.
• Detailed project cost information.

You will also need to provide electronically:

• A completed Invest NI Cost and Carbon Saving Calculator for your project, which can be found here.
• Supplier quotations for all project costs.

Applications will close by 5pm on Monday 13 September 2021.

For more information on applications, or how to become an Invest NI customer, please contact us.