A useful Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) funding incentives guide for Irish businesses compiled by Bank of Ireland’s Corporate and Commercial team to help them navigate their ESG strategies.
“There are some significant grants and supports available to businesses and this guide contains an overview of the type of grants that companies may be able to avail of in order to get started or further progress their ESG journeys,” said Colette Shirley, director of Sustainability, Corporate & Commercial Banking, Bank of Ireland.
“This guide provides a snapshot of what’s available.”
Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta funding
The Climate Action Voucher is available to eligible companies to access up to 2 days independent technical or advisory services support related to current & future operations of the business. Approved providers – directory link here.
Funding: Maximum of €1,800
Eligibility criteria: Enterprise Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta clients. (HPSU, Small, Medium or Large).
Eligible Projects: Develop a Circular Economy Action Plan; Develop a Sustainability/Decarbonisation Action Plan.
GreenStart is about helping businesses to improve their environmental performance through greater resource efficiency, driving competitive advantage and reducing costs.
Funding: Maximum grant of €5,000. (Typical cost of GreenStart assignment is €6,300).
Eligibility criteria: HPSUs, SME’s and large companies that are Enterprise Ireland clients.
Eligible Projects: Eligible activities include but are not limited to Develop a Sustainability/Decarbonisation Action Plan or Circular Economy Action Plan.
A GreenPlus project is a medium-scale training project facilitated/supported by an external environmental expert (providers available here). The aim of the project is to develop a high level of environmental management capabilities, drive environmental efficiencies and achieve improved sustainability by establishing and embedding continuous improvement systems and behaviours.
Funding: Service provider costs are capped at €900 per day inclusive of travel and subsistence and all out-of-pocket expenses. The grant can also be used to cover (i) part of the salary cost of up to 10 green project team members within the company over the project duration and (ii) external training courses that support the project goals.
Eligibility criteria: SMEs and large companies that are Enterprise Ireland clients.
Eligible Projects: Eligible activities include developing a comprehensive Climate Change & Sustainability plan and aligning policies to international standards & frameworks.
Strategic Consultancy Assignment
The Strategic Consultancy Grant funds the hiring of a strategic consultant to support the development and/or the implementation of new strategic initiatives to facilitate business growth. Two categories of grant are offered:1. Strategic Consultancy Grant (support for SMEs & Large clients).2. Strategic Consultancy Grant – Short Projects (support for HPSU, SME & Large clients).
Funding: Strategic Consultancy Grant – Up to 50% of hiring cost of consultant to a maximum grant of €35,000.2. Strategic Consultancy Grant – Short Project – Up to 80% of hiring costs of consultant to a maximum grant of €7,200.
Eligibility criteria: Two Categories of grants are offered: 1. Strategic Consultancy Grant.2. Strategic Consultancy Grant – Short Project Small and Medium established clients, HPSU Accelerate companies, and Large companies.
Eligible Projects: Eligible projects must be of strategic significance to the company such as a specific strategic review of one or more business functions and/or implementation of a new strategic initiative at a corporate or functional level. Large company: Eligible projects must be to develop an organisational carbon reduction roadmap.Short Projects: Eligible projects must relate to: (a) an Identified pillar issue and/or action arising from a Client Development Meeting or (b) Achieving Gender Balanced teams (actions arising from Level Project).
Capital Investment for Decarbonisation Processes
The Capital investment for Decarbonisation Processes is funded under the Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund. The aim is to help companies decarbonise their manufacturing combustion processes (i.e. heating from manufacturing processes) through investment in carbon abating capital equipment and technologies. The fund aims to 1. Reduce the payback period of key carbon reducing technologies at plant level by incentivising companies to invest in, and adopt new technologies.2. Increase resilience of companies in preparation for climate change.
Funding: Maximum €1m per project, with minimum grant aid of €20,000 against eligible costs*. Small Enterprise: Up to 50% of eligible costs; Medium Enterprise up to 40%; Large Enterprise up to 30%. Eligible costs are the extra investment costs in a project required to go beyond EU standards for environmental protection.
Eligibility criteria: Manufacturing clients of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta.Eligible companies must: Have 10 or more full time employees in Ireland and min. 5 years sales.
Eligible Projects: Eligible projects are those that are deemed to be significant capital investments in carbon abatement technologies including but not limited to: Industrial Heat Pumps (including air, water, and ground source) Electric steam boilers, Heat recovery technologies Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR), Evaporators, Biomass boilers. More information here
Capital Investment for Energy Monitoring & Tracking (EM&T)
The objective is to support companies to put in place energy monitoring and tracking systems to begin accounting for the carbon footprint of their activities.
Funding: Min. grant aid of €5,000, up to a maximum of €50,000.
Eligibility criteria: Manufacturing clients of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Eligible companies must: Have 10 or more full time employees in Ireland and min. 5 years sales.
Eligible Projects: Hardware cost for new metering systems (e.g. electricity, gas, diesel, oil, water, steam, loggers), and reasonable installation and commissioning costs.
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Funding
The Non-Domestic Microgen Grant
This scheme provides funding to assist businesses to install solar PV to generate electricity on site.
Funding: Ranges from €900 (1kWp) to max €162,600 (1000 1 kWp).
Eligibility criteria: Agricultural sector, public sector bodies, schools community centres, non-profit societies.
Eligible Projects: A solar PV system with a maximum output of 1000kWp. If a larger size system is installed, then the installation will not be considered eligible.
The EXEED grant scheme is designed for organisations who are planning an energy investment project.
Funding: Up to €3,000,000 per project.
Eligibility criteria: EXEED is open to all organisations planning an investment in an energy project. This includes: new design projects, major renovation and major energy upgrades of existing buildings and assets.
Eligible Projects: Projects which are following the EXEED Certified standard for Excellence in Energy Efficient Design. The EXEED standard encourages to help future-proof the investment, by optimising energy performance and reducing operational energy costs and carbon emissions.
Support Scheme for Renewable Heat
Financial incentive to assist with installation of biomass, anaerobic digestors, air to heat pumps, water to heat pumps and ground heat pumps. The proposed supports are designed to fully incentivise the development and supply of renewable heat.
Funding: Prescribed operational tariffs to support a bio-mass & biogas heating system. Additionally the installation grant for a commercial heating pump system (30% of installation costs).
Eligibility criteria: Commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector and other non-domestic heat users.
Eligible Projects: Applicants must be able to show: conversion from fossil fuels, eligible heat use (space heating or process) and compliance with eco-design standards and design in accordance with building and other relevant regulations.
A tax incentive encouraging investment in energy saving technology, products and equipment.
Funding: Available for costs directly related to providing the equipment. Expenditure on the technology must be equal or exceed the minimum amounts for the relevant class of technology. Minimum amounts and categories available here.
Eligibility criteria: Companies, sole traders and farmers that operate and pay corporation tax or income tax on trading or professional income in Ireland.
Eligible Projects: The ACA scheme allows a sole trader, farmer or company that pays corporation tax or income tax on trading or professional income in Ireland to deduct the full cost of the equipment from their profits in the year of purchase. As a result, the business’s taxable profits are reduced by the value of qualifying capital expenditure. By contrast, the Wear and Tear Allowance provides for the same tax reduction, but this is spread evenly over an eight-year period.
Provides grant supports towards the purchase of new N1 category electric vehicles for business and public entities. N1 category vehicles are typically small goods carrying vans with a technically permissible maximum mass not exceeding 3500kg.
Funding: Case specific
Eligibility criteria: SEAI provides grant supports towards the purchase of new N1 (light commercial vehicle) category electric vehicles for consumers, public sector and businesses.
Eligible Projects: Commercially acquired EVs (N1); Privately purchased EVs (M1); Large Panel Vans (N1L).
The Energy Contracting Support Scheme
Provides financial assistance to implement energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects. The Scheme aims to support the direct external consultancy and/or specialist advisory costs related to project appraisal and procurement of pay-for-performance energy contracts e.g. Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs), Local Energy Supply Contracts (LESCs) and Energy Performance Guarantees (EPGs).
Funding: Up to 75% funding of eligible costs, subject to a maximum limit of: €50k for EPCs and €25k for EPGs.
Eligibility criteria: Public and private sectors. This includes buildings, industry, commercial operations and transport & utility services. Note this is not available to the residential sector.
Eligible Projects: Eligible activities include but are not limited to; Preliminary energy Audits; Feasibility Studies; Risk Assessments; Business Case Development; Legal Advice
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