Energy efficiency grants for SMEs now open

The federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has announced the first round of grant applications to support small and medium-sized businesses is now open. Aimed to help SMEs ease pressure on their energy bills and improve energy efficiency, applications are open now until Wednesday, 19 April 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

The department says $16 million worth of grants valued between $10,000 and $25,000 are available for small and medium businesses to monitor energy use, upgrade or replace existing equipment to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

The grants could be used on a range of energy efficiency measures, such as upgrading existing lights to LEDs or replacing gas heating boilers with heat pumps. Businesses can also consider space and water heating improvements and energy monitoring systems. For details of eligible activities, read the grant guidelines.

The grant opportunity is demand-driven: grants will be awarded to eligible applicants on a first come, first served basis until the funding is exhausted in each jurisdiction. It is open to small and medium-sized businesses with an employee headcount of 1 to 199 employees.

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