My Department, through schemes administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), provides various supports to enterprises which can assist these sectors in increasing their energy efficiency and lowering their carbon emissions.
The Business Energy Upgrades Scheme (BEUS) has been designed for greater accessibility to support small and medium enterprises in Ireland. This scheme is open to all businesses, public sectors bodies, societies and charities. The BEUS opened for applications in late 2024 and is targeted at providing a tailored pathway for SMEs to support retrofit activity, following their participation in existing education and audit supports. There have been over 350 applications made through the scheme portal, since its launch in November 2024. The total spend on the BEUS, including its development, to date in 2026 is €1.683m. As a large volume of projects are still ongoing there are committed funds, not yet spent, of the order of €4m.
My Department has allocated €6.25m from the Climate Action Fund to the BEUS in 2026 and we are keeping this under review to ensure that the scheme is fully funded to meet demand.
This capital support is focussed on high impact optimisation and control opportunities in existing buildings to reduce demand, with targeted support for retrofit measures and heat pump adoption. The support is twofold: support for technical assistance (optimisation of existing HVAC systems, building renovation passports, and RES-H design activities); and capital support (commoditised grants for a menu of measures). There is a single online application and payment process, and instant approval for grant funding. I would also note that accessing the scheme is a very simple process with the ability to complete applications in minutes, including obtaining immediate approval. There are currently no plans to increase the grants on the scheme, but grant rates are kept under review in relation to prevailing market rates for different measures.
