Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 September 2022
37. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will engage with the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications on streamlining applications for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland-business supports to decarbonise non-domestic buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45056/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are a range of incentives and advice available to business to help them use energy efficiently, diversify their fuel use and switch to renewable energy sources.
I and my officials are engaging with Minister Ryan’s Department and the SEAI to ensure that assistance to business is appropriate, easy to understand, and efficient in regard to the time and resources required for businesses to access it. I think there is scope for further improvement in this regard, and I know that SEAI is constantly streamlining existing, and developing new, supports for business to support energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. Further, the enterprise development agencies under my Department are coordinating with SEAI on financial and technical assistance available to businesses, to ensure that the state’s agencies are offering consistent and complementary advice on energy investments, efficiency and competitiveness.
Small businesses can currently receive an energy audit voucher from SEAI to get professional advice on how to increase efficiency and reduce their costs. Other financial supports include incentives for electric vehicles, the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat, grants for microgeneration, the EXCEED programme, as well as GreenStart and GreenPlus programmes available from Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.
The Department, in conjunction with DECC, has launched the Climate Toolkit for Business, which aims to encourage all SMEs to start their zero-carbon journey. The project addresses the imperative for decarbonisation across all of a businesses activities, including their buildings, and will be of particular help for those SMEs that are at the start of the process to understand their carbon footprint.
In March 2021, I launched the Local Enterprise Office Green for Micro programme. This programme offers green transition advice and technical support to micro-enterprises in decarbonising their buildings, transport and supply chains.
