Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of support available to small- to medium-sized enterprises to reduce the cost of energy, his plans to expand these supports in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50436/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to reduce the cost of doing business and that is why I have established the Cost of Business Advisory Forum. A Programme for Government commitment, the Forum comprises SME & Industry representative organisations, Regulatory and State Bodies and Government Departments who will jointly consider issues that can lead to higher costs for businesses at a regional and national level in Ireland.

The Forum met to discuss energy costs and the security of supply in July. I believe it is essential that small and medium-sized businesses are supported and encouraged to become more energy efficient. By doing so businesses will not only become more sustainable, they will also reduce their energy costs and become more competitive. The Government has made a number of supports available to help businesses to do so.

For SMEs an energy audit is a great starting point, as it shows where specifically 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, which is available through the Local Enterprise Offices, 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 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. So far this year 527 applications for the grant have been approved to an estimated value of €4.42m.

Businesses can also look to the SEAI’s Business Energy Upgrades Scheme which offers support for a high-quality energy audit and a range of common building upgrade measures including the installation of, solar thermal, solar PV, automatic controls, heat pumps, air handling units and fabric. heat pumps, ventilation and wall insulation. Up to Q2 2025 120 grants have been approved this year to a value of €2.1 million.

Low-cost loans are also available for SMEs looking to fund sustainability measures. The €500 million Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme delivered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland has unlocked significant funding to enable SMEs to invest in their energy efficiency.

Lastly, as the Deputy will be aware, the Ministers for Finance, and Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation will announce the details of Budget 2026 on October 7th.