This document summarizes a briefing for registered energy auditors on the Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA) in Ireland. Over 1550 energy audit vouchers have been issued to date, with Dublin receiving the most. There are now 138 registered energy auditors participating in the program. The briefing covered energy audit reports, recommendations, data collection, and proposed changes to the program for 2023, including limiting vouchers to one per applicant and excluding transport costs from the €10,000 energy spending threshold. The 2023 budget for the program will remain €2 million.

1. www.seai.ie
Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA)
Briefing to Registered Energy Auditors
13th December 2022

2. This event is being recorded
WebEx Housekeeping
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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. • Energy Audit Vouchers
• SSEA Payments
• Registered Energy Auditors
• Energy Audit Reports
• Energy Audit Data
• Programme Observations and Challenges
• Proposed Scheme Changes
• Outlook and Budget for 2023
Agenda
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4. Energy audit vouchers
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Over
1550
vouchers
issued to
date

5. SSEA Payments
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• 2022 Budget:
Initially €600k
• Increased to €2M
• €1.6M paid to date

6. SSEA Vouchers
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7. Geographic Spread of Vouchers Issued
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Top 10 Counties No.of vouchers
Dublin 308
Donegal 189
Cork 143
Galway 96
Meath 67
Kerry 65
Kildare 54
Limerick 54
Wexford 50
Waterford 50
Other 476
Total 1552

8. • There are 138 REA (102-SSEA)
• Increased by approx. 50 auditors since launch
• 89 auditors have submitted audits for payments
• 41 auditors have carried out >10 audits
• Geographic spread of auditors:
Registered Energy Auditors
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All Ireland Ulster Munster Connaught Dublin Rest of Leinster
83 93 113 104 124 122

9. Energy Audit Reports: Sectors Availing of Audits
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10. Audit Report Recommendations
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11. Total Energy Consumption Breakdown
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48%
33%
20%
Electrical Thermal Transport

12. Energy Spend
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13. SSEA Cognito Forms Audit Data
• What are we using it for?
o To design further grants and supports, eg Non-Domestic Microgen which
launched this year
o Topics on new energy academy modules (e.g solar pv, heat pumps)
o To understand where the opportunities lie to decarbonise the enterprise sector
and align with national targets
o Provide data to policy makers, e.g for design of Govt Temporary Business
Energy Support Scheme (TBESS)
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14. Main reasons why the audit reports are
returned to the auditor for correction:
• The audit report not being signed by
the owner/director or senior equivalent within the
organisation or signed by anyone at all.
• Auditor not making at least 5 recommendations
for the site/facility (minimum requirement).
• Inconsistencies in energy spend/consumption
across the report
• Incorrect SEAI grant
recommendation (particularly in relation
to EXEED and SSRH)
SSEA Audit reports
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15. SSEA Proposed Scheme Changes
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Buildings that are due to be re-purposed or demolished cannot be audited
The limit of vouchers will be reduced to 1 per Applicant
Transport costs cannot be included to reach the €10K limit - will be limited to heating
and electricity only (although transport can be included in the audit recommendations)
Premises must be occupied - no derelict or unoccupied buildings should be audited
Terms and Conditions and Guidance Documents will be updated to reflect these
changes

16. 1. The auditor must visit the premises in person
2. Auditor must verify that the Applicant meets the energy spend threshold of €10,000 per annum
(excluding transport costs) through utility bills (estimates not permitted)
3. Auditors will be removed from selection if Tax and Insurance details are not up to date (Vendor Set
Up Form)
4. Applicant must apply for the grant themselves
5. The auditor must ensure that the applicant is eligible for the scheme
6. Quality Assurance: An independent review of a sample of audits will be carried out in due course
7. Ensure that the owner has a copy of the audit report, as feedback from some SME
owners suggests that they were unaware an audit had taken place.
8. SSEA Report Calculator: Spreadsheet has been updated. There are now individual columns for
electricity, thermal and transport savings. This now facilitates the installation of a heat pump and
allows for multiple entries for behaviour change or when rectifying AHU heating and cooling issues
SSEA: Other Key Areas to Highlight
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17. • Auditors must confirm eligibility in advance of carrying out audit
• The following are not eligible:
• Applicant or Company has applied for more than 1 audit
• Applicant has already had one or more audits carried out under SSEA
• Applicant does not meet the €10,000 per annum minimum energy spend criteria (exclusive of transport costs)
• Audits for obligated entities or other non-eligible parties
• Audits for premises where the building is derelict, unoccupied or due to be demolished or re-purposed.
• Audits which include energy costs related to marine vessels
SEAI will not pay for these audits/vouchers, so in such a situation the Auditor should inform the
Applicant and cancel the planned audit, unless the Applicant wishes to pay for the full cost of the
audit themselves.
SSEA: Eligibility Confirmation Checklist
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18. Outlook and Budget for 2023
• T&Cs and Guidance documents will be updated with changes
• Updated Audit Excel template will be issued
• Budget for 2023 is €2M – very unlikely to be increased again this year
• Tailored support for SMEs (Commercial Retrofit Programme) will be announced
shortly
• SSRH and EXEED review may lead to changes
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19. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is partly financed by Ireland’s EU Structural Funds Programme co-funded by the Irish Government and the European
Union.
Q/A
Contact:
Registeredenergyauditor@seai.ie