Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an overview of funding available to businesses for climate and energy efficiency measures. [33193/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, I want businesses to become more sustainable. By doing so, businesses not only cut their emissions, they also cut their energy costs and become more competitive. The Government is supporting both SMEs and large industry to do so through a range of financial and advisory supports.

For SMEs an energy audit is a great starting point, as it shows where they can make savings. Through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) Support Scheme for Energy Audits, SMEs can access a €2,000 voucher to cover the cost of a professional energy audit.

It will identify where energy is being used inefficiently and highlights opportunities to cut costs and reduce emissions. Most audits are fully funded and carried out by SEAI-registered experts. Similarly, Enterprise Ireland’s Climate Action Voucher offers up to €1,800 to fund two days of independent consultancy to help companies to identify and act on energy-saving opportunities.

The Climate Action Programme from Fáilte Ireland meanwhile is fully subsidised and gives SMEs in the Tourism Sector access to a dedicated expert advisor who will work with them on a one-to-one basis to assess their current operations and create a tailored, practical action plan. This gives an SME clear, unbiased guidance on how to reduce emissions, improve energy use, and explore available funding opportunities.

Once a business knows where they should invest, there are grants available towards buying energy efficient equipment and building retrofits. The Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) offers 75% of project costs up to a maximum amount of €10,000 and is open to all small businesses with up to 50 employees. The grant can fund practical measures to help a small business to reduce their long-term energy costs, including upgrading to LED lighting, replacing heat pumps, and upgrading refrigeration units, ovens, and dishwashers. It can also fund heat recovery and smart energy controls, among other steps.

In addition the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) €50m Business Energy Upgrades Scheme offers support for a high-quality energy audit and a range of common building upgrade measures including, pumps, solar thermal, solar PV, automatic controls, heat pumps, air handling units and fabric.

And there are loans available to SMEs to fund sustainability measures. The €500 million Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme (GSLS) delivered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland has unlocked significant funding to enable SMEs, including farmers, fishers and mid-caps to invest in energy efficiency.

There is also funding available to drive the decarbonisation of Ireland’s industrial emitters. Last year I announced that €300 million would be available up to 2030 through the Environmental Aid Scheme to the client companies of Enterprise Ireland (EI) and IDA Ireland. The scheme offers capital grants to businesses adopting low-carbon, efficient, and sustainable production practices. It supports transformative projects in emissions reduction, energy and resource efficiency, and climate action integration. Eligible initiatives include facility upgrades, new low-carbon technologies, and improvements in circularity and water use.

Lastly, there is EU funding available through the €55 million Green Transition Fund, which is part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). It is delivered through Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Údarás na Gaeltachta and supports businesses to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.