Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the supports available to businesses in order to increase energy efficiency or to install renewable energy technology; the amount allocated to these supports in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44340/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of the Government launched the Energy Efficiency Fund for business and the public sector in June 2010. The fund supports exemplar projects which achieve verifiable and significant energy savings. These 43 projects will critically provide key lessons for all business and public sector bodies. The projects are projected to create lifetime savings of over €70 million, with 50,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided each year. In 2010 €11,065,000 was allocated to this programme.

A total of €2.722m was allocated by me to SEAI in 2010 to assist the development of energy demand management programmes in Industry and Business. The Large Industry Energy Network (LIEN) engages all of the largest energy using enterprises (in manufacturing and services) where the average annual energy spend of the 130+ member companies is in the region of €8 million. This programme has for example resulted in avoided energy costs totalling of €60 million in 2008 alone.

The Government's Accelerated Capital Allowances scheme allows companies to write off the full capital cost of registered energy efficient equipment in the year of purchase, unlike non-ACA equipment which is typically written off over 8 years. This scheme has been extended year on year including 2010 to incorporate additional categories, including IT software solutions, refrigeration and cooling systems, electro-mechanical systems and catering and hospitality equipment, and now covers 49 different technologies with more than 7000 products on its register. A dedicated support programme has also been established by the SEAI, which offers free energy management training, advice and support to any business that is willing to show a commitment to becoming more energy efficient. Over 1,600 businesses have already availed of this programme.

I have also announced the National Retrofit Programme, which is designed to build on the success of existing domestic and non-domestic energy efficiency programmes. The new programme, which will come into effect in 2011, has the objective of delivering energy efficiency upgrades to one million residential, public and commercial buildings in Ireland, with an estimated lifetime energy saving worth €16 billion. This programme will make discounts on retrofit work available up front rather than having to wait for retrospective grant payments, and will make energy efficiency measures more accessible to homes and businesses. The public consultation process recently concluded, and responses are being analysed with a view to final programme design.

CHP (Combined Heat and Power) is the simultaneous generation of usable heat and electricity in a single process. The SEAI Biomass CHP programme aims to support the deployment of CHP in public and commercial properties in Ireland as well providing support for undertaking feasibility studies. In 2010 €3,678,000 was allocated to this programme. SEAI's REHEAT programme has supported the deployment of renewable energy heating technologies in commercial, industrial and community sectors. Financial assistance is provided for biomass boilers, solar thermal collectors and heat pumps. In 2010 €2,238,000 was allocated to this programme.