SEAI: Supporting a Greener Future for Irish Construction Businesses
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, as the expert authority on decarbonising Ireland’s energy system, is supporting the construction industry in the transition towards more energy efficient and sustainable technologies and operations.
The Irish Government's Climate Action Plan 2021 provides a detailed roadmap for decisive climate action to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions (relative to 2018 levels) by 2030. The plan empowers and supports companies with structured frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Partnering with government bodies, Irish businesses can play a more proactive role in supporting the transition to a lower-carbon economy through enhanced sustainability efforts and adopting new green technologies.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), as the vanguard of new building techniques in the Irish market, naturally embraces greener operational practices and technologies. Companies working in MMC, or considering pivoting to this way of working, will already be familiar with many key concepts related to sustainable building materials and processes. To support businesses, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offers a range of business grants and educational supports to help organisations all over Ireland make significant savings.
SEAI is the national sustainable energy authority, working with businesses, community projects, and other public sector agencies to help make Ireland’s future cleaner and greener. To this end, SEAI offers an array of financial supports for construction companies that want to contribute to this future.
Eamonn Sheils, Programme Manager – Commercial Retrofit at SEAI, offered an overview of the guiding principles behind their funding approach for businesses:
“We are constantly developing and adjusting our programmes to meet all business sectors where they are. This can be in relation to their sustainability journey or to the barriers they face to progress. We invest a significant number of resources into teaching companies how to be more sustainable, as well as offering a range of grants and supports, to empower businesses of all sizes to start and advance in their sustainability journey.”
Programme Manager – Commercial Retrofit at SEAI
These support programmes include grants such as the Support Scheme for Energy Audits. This links SMEs to financing for an audit to help them understand their operational energy use. This includes electricity, gas, oil, diesel, and any other energy used at a nominated facility, alongside fuel used by the company fleet, but does not factor in off-site processes. With this, companies benefit from recommendations on the most effective ways to reduce energy bills.
SEAI also offers rapid approval grant schemes, including their Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) Grant and Business Energy Upgrades Scheme. Combined, these schemes provide grants across ten different measures with no upfront documents and a fully automated application process which takes just minutes and provides immediate approval. This type of support gives businesses technical assistance and commoditised grants to make their physical premises more energy efficient and lower their overall carbon footprint.
The variety of measures supported, covering everything from air handling unit upgrades to Building Management System optimisation, allows businesses to take charge of their own sustainability transformation. Measures can be availed of in any order. With no prescribed route, businesses can choose the path that suits them and their operations.
Eamonn emphasised that these measures demonstrate SEAI’s total commitment to helping the construction sector become one of the greenest in Ireland.
“We want to demonstrate that SEAI is a dynamic and proactive organisation committed to working with businesses, to help deliver a cleaner energy future.”
Programme Manager – Commercial Retrofit at SEAI
Other forms of financing support can be gained for sustainability projects through alternative measures from SEAI such as:
- Energy Contracting Support Scheme – providing financial assistance to help businesses deliver energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects through direct external/specialist advisory costs related to project appraisal and procurement of pay-for-performance energy contracts. Successful applicants will receive up to 75% funding for all eligible costs.
- Accelerated Capital Allowance – promoting investment in energy efficient products and equipment through a tax incentive. The scheme allows companies that pay corporation or income tax to deduct the full cost of the equipment from profits in the year of purchase. As a result, the business' taxable profits are reduced by the value of qualifying capital expenditure.
To see more about how SEAI can help your business make significant energy cost reductions, discover the organisation’s business grants today.