Australia: Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (Round 2)

Objectives

The objectives of the program are:

• improve energy efficiency practices and increase the uptake of energy efficient technologies
• assist small and medium businesses to manage their energy usage and costs
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Focus Areas

• Energy audits and energy management
• Energy monitoring
• Power supply
• Lighting
• Heat Pumps
• Process automation and controls
• Reconfigure/Optimise Processes
• Upgrades to motors, including for compressors, pumps, fans, conveyors, mixers and blowers
• Building fabric upgrades
• Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Commercial refrigeration
• Compressed Air Improvements
• Water Heating
• Other process heating, cooling, drying and pumping improvements

Grants Available

• The Australian Government has announced a total of $62.6 million for the program. For this second round, a total of $41.241 million is available.
  • The minimum grant amount is $10,000.
  • The maximum grant amount is $25,000.
• The maximum project period is 12 months.

Outcomes

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• increase awareness of energy efficiency opportunities and help businesses to save energy
• reduced power bills for small and medium businesses
• emissions abatement to contribute to Australia reducing its emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

• To be eligible you must:
  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• and be one of the following entity types:
  • an entity incorporated in Australia
  • a partnership
  • a sole trader
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust.
• They can only accept applications from applicants who satisfy all of the below requirements:
  • small and medium sized businesses with an employee headcount from 1 to 199 employees averaged over any consecutive 12-month period since 1 July 2020.
  • small and medium sized businesses who have been in operation for a minimum of 24 months
  • applicants that have consent from the owner of the project location to undertake the project, if the entity is not the owner of the project location.

For more information, visit Australian Government.