This webinar will help you understand: How to reduce your energy use and bills this winter. SEAI supports and grants to help you further reduce costs and move away from fossil fuels. How to fund your renewable energy transition.

1. 17th November 2022
SEAI Business Briefing:
Reduce Your Use and Fund
your Renewable Energy
Transition

2. This event is being recorded
WebEx Housekeeping
2 www.seai.ie
Attendees are muted with cameras off
Questions submitted by clicking Q&A bubble
Questions will be answered at end of event
An FAQ will be created and shared from all questions submitted
A recording and slides will be distributed after the event

3. 3 www.seai.ie
Agenda
• Welcome and Understanding Energy Use
– Ali Donnellan, SME Programme Executive, SEAI
• Reduce your Use Winter tips for Businesses
– Ray Langton, Support Scheme for Renewable Heat Programme Manager, SEAI
• Discover the benefits of an energy audit and learn about the SEAI business grants
available
– Eóin Cullen, SME Programme Executive, SEAI
• Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV Grant)
– John McCoombe, Commercial Retrofit Programme Executive, SEAI
• SBCI Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme
– Shane McCullough, Strategic Banking Cooperation Ireland
• Q&A

4. Understanding your
Energy Use
4
Ali Donnellan| SME Programme Executive SEAI

5. 5 www.seai.ie
Energy Academy
• Free e-learning platform
• Encourage sustainable energy use behaviors
• Increases motivation and confidence to reduce
energy use in the workplace
• Join over 5,000 learners:
https://www.seai.ie/energyacademy/
• Energy and Climate
Change
• Business Energy Efficiency
• Office Energy Efficiency
• Eco-Driving
• Lighting Efficiency
• Decarbonisation for
Business
• Introduction to Electric
Vehicles
• Introduction to Solar PV

6. 6 www.seai.ie
How is the Energy Academy helping businesses?
Free training
for staff
Upskill your
staff with
practical,
business
focused, free
training. This
can boost staff
morale and
retention.
Achieve a
certificate of
completion,
demonstrating
commitment to
reducing
carbon impact.
Improve your
brand image
Deliver cost
savings
Discover
opportunities
to reduce your
energy use and
save costs
across all areas
of your
business and
home.
Reduce energy
waste
Increase your
energy efficiency,
lower your
carbon footprint.

7. 7 www.seai.ie
• Introduction to Energy Management Training: Create an
Energy Action Plan
• Takes you through the six steps to creating an energy
action plan
1. Create the business case for energy management
2. Assign an energy coordinator
3. Write your energy statement
4. Track your energy consumption through bills and
meter readings
5. Identify potential areas to save energy
6. Create your energy action plan
• Check out the SEAI Eventbrite page for the next online
workshop
Reduce Your Use: Create an Energy Action Plan

8. Reduce your Use – Winter
Tips for Business
Ray Langton| SSRH Programme Manager SEAI
8
www.seai.ie

9. Heat Tips
1. Reduce heating temperature setpoints to 19 degrees in staff
and guest areas. Corridors, storerooms and other areas of
higher physical activity, should be lower. Turn off heating in
vacant spaces
2. Increase Air Conditioning setpoint to 24 degrees or higher.
3. Make sure timers are set to the correct date and time.
Variations in working hours on weekends and Bank Holidays
should be considered when setting controls.
4. Have your boiler serviced regularly to ensure it is operating
efficiently.
5. Ask your service technician to confirm that your condensing
boiler is actually condensing and that all timers and
controllers are correctly set.
6. Identify and seal any draughts and improve insulation where
possible. Ensure that external doors shut automatically.
9 www.seai.ie

10. Lighting Tips
1. Ensure lights are switched off when not needed - install
motion sensors in infrequently used areas such as
storerooms, toilets, and corridors.
2. Maximise the use of daylight and install daylight sensors in
areas that automate lights to turn off or dim in daylight.
3. Reduce lighting levels where possible. Remove light fittings if
possible – but stay safe!
4. Reconsider external and feature lighting needs.
5. Replace failed or inefficient light bulbs with LEDs. These can
now have paybacks of only a few months.
10 www.seai.ie

11. Electricity Tips
1. Ensure you are on the best electricity tariff available. Look
at your use and compare suppliers.
2. Switch off equipment when not in use (printers, laptops,
monitors, or larger equipment).
3. Shift as much of your energy use as possible to be outside
of peak hours.
4. Consider Solar PV to generate renewable electricity
5. Watch out for any LPFS (low power factor surcharge) or
reactive power charge on your bills. This means you are
running equipment with poor power factors, such as
florescent lamps or air conditioning units, Your supplier will
bill you extra for these – replace this equipment!
11 www.seai.ie

12. Other Equipment Tips
1. Check for and activate eco-mode which will put idle
equipment into standby mode and use a blank screensaver.
2. Ensure any motor in use is the right size for the job they are
to perform and consider retrofitting motors with variable
speed drives.
3. Survey for leaks or hotspots in any air, steam, or hot water
systems. Fix any gaps or damage in pipe insulation
4. Ensure that heavy energy using equipment has routine
maintenance carried out in line with manufacturers
guidelines.
5. Employ energy monitoring and an energy management
system to ensure you understand and optimise energy use.
6. A Building Management System (BMS) deep dive can deliver
10-20% savings.
12 www.seai.ie

13. 13
Support Scheme for
Energy Audits (SSEA)
Eóin Cullen| SME Programme Executive SEAI

14. 14 www.seai.ie
How to plan?
• Complete an Energy Audit - Support Scheme for
Energy Audits (SSEA)
• Offers SMEs a voucher of €2,000 to get an energy
audit with an SEAI Registered Energy Auditor.
• Open year round for applications.
• To be eligible, your company must:
• Be a Small or Medium Enterprise
• < 250 employees
• Turnover < €50M or balance sheet < €43M
• Spend at least €10,000 on energy per year
• Be tax compliant
• Find out more and apply online:
www.seai.ie/sme/energyaudits

15. SME Energy Audit trends
Sectors
• 70% of Audits are in the;
• Wholesale and Retail Trade
• Manufacturing
• Accommodation and Food Services
• Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Top recommendations
• Solar PV
• LED lights
• Energy management, monitoring and
metering
• Refrigeration upgrades
• Renewable Heat
15 www.seai.ie

16. 16 www.seai.ie
Supermarket in Cavan
Energy audit key findings:
1. Energy mgmt. system #1
2. <€5k investment = €13k savings
every year
3. Solar is #2 – most saving but
large investment
4. This supermarket can
• Avail of the Communities grant for
30% grant funding (plus potential
of 10% covered by obligated
energy providers)

17. Wide range of grants and supports available at https://www.seai.ie/business-and-public-
sector/business-grants-and-supports/
Understand your energy and
create and action plan
Complete an energy audit Invest in energy efficiency
and renewables
SEAI Energy Academy
SEAI Energy Management
Training
Climate Toolkit 4 Business
SME Guide to Energy
Efficiency
SME Energy Management
Guide
SEAI Support Scheme for
Energy Audits
SEAI Energy Audit Compliance
Scheme
Non Domestic Microgen
Scheme
Community Energy Grants
Support Scheme for
Renewable Heat
SEAI EXEED Grant
17

18. 18
SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen
Scheme (Solar PV Grant)
John McCoombe|Programme Executive - Commercial Retrofit SEAI

19. 19 www.seai.ie
Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (Solar PV) Background
• DECC announced the new Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) 21
December 2021.
• A grant of max. €2400 (4kWp/6kWp max)
• Size under scheme set at a maximum 6kWp (Approx 16 Panels, 25m2)
• No BER required and available to all pre-2021 buildings.
• SEAI launched the scheme 22 September 2022
• Separate to Domestic SPV Scheme.
• Application process, grant offer and payment process very similar to the
Domestic SPV Scheme.
• Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff, for any exported electricity (subject to
supplier rates)

20. 20 www.seai.ie
Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (Solar PV Grant)

21. 21 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)

22. 22 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.

23. 23 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.
2. An inverter converts the solar DC power into alternating current (AC)
power.

24. 24 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.
2. An inverter changes the solar DC power into alternating current (AC)
power.
3. Your business uses electricity from the solar PV modules first,
with additional demand supplied by the grid.

25. 25 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.
2. An inverter changes the solar DC power into alternating current (AC)
power.
3. Your business uses electricity from the solar PV modules first, with
additional demand supplied by the grid.
4. A meter measures your electricity production and consumption.

26. 26 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.
2. An inverter changes the solar DC power into alternating current (AC)
power.
3. Your business uses electricity from the solar PV modules first, with
additional demand supplied by the grid.
4. A meter measures your electricity production and consumption.
5. Excess power generated by the solar PV modules is fed into the
electricity grid.

27. 27 www.seai.ie
Solar PV (Photovoltaic)
1. Solar PV modules convert sunlight to direct current (DC) power.
2. An inverter changes the solar DC power into alternating current (AC)
power.
3. Your business uses electricity from the solar PV modules first, with
additional demand supplied by the grid.
4. A meter measures your electricity production and consumption.
5. Excess power generated by the solar PV modules is fed into the
electricity grid.
Optional: Battery Storage

28. Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (Solar PV Grant)
28 www.seai.ie
*Based on a standard 24-hour urban rate of 0.43 per kWh inc. Vat as of October
2022. Rounding up has been applied to all figures. Cheaper rates at certain times
of the day may be available for those with smart meters, or night saver meters.
**Based on the new rating scale launched in 2021. This would have been rated A
or B rated under the old scale.

29. Strategic Banking
Corporation of Ireland
SBCI Energy Efficiency Loan
Scheme
Shane McCullough - Product Development Manager
17th November 2022

30. What is the SBCI?
Ireland’s National Promotional Institution
 Established in September 2014
 Owned by the Minister for Finance
Objectives
 Reduce the price of borrowing for Irish SMEs
 Make access to finance easier for SMEs in Ireland
 Increase competition in the Irish Credit Market
30

31. 31
Source: SBCI 2022 Mid-year Impact Document (progress to mid-year 2022)
Key Business Highlights

32. SBCI Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme (EELS)

33. Businesses can use EELS funding for
Solar panels Heating/Cooling equipment LED lighting
EVs charging points Kitchen equipment Lighting controls

34. Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme
Key Features:
• Finance from €10,000 to €150,000
• Repayment terms of 1-10 years
• Reduced interest rate
• Available up to 31 December 2023

35. How to Apply for EELS?
STEP 1 – Submit the Eligibility Application Form available on the
SBCI.gov.ie website to verify if you are eligible to apply for a loan
under the scheme.
STEP 2 – If successful, provide the SBCI Eligibility Code to one of
the scheme participating on-lenders to start your credit process.

36. How to Apply for EELS?

37. Where to apply for an EELS loan?
Additional
lenders to be
announced in
the coming
weeks

38. Follow Us for Updates!
@SBCIreland
Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
sbci_irl
Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland - SBCI

39. Q&A
39