The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water have recently released the following grant to increase awareness of energy efficiency opportunities and help business to save energy and reduce power bills. This grant aims to do this by assisting small and medium sized businesses to:

Improve energy efficiency practices and increase the uptake of energy efficient technologies

Assist small and medium businesses to manage their energy usage and costs

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The grant funding will pay between $10,000 and $25,000 to assist businesses with the following activities:

Energy audits and energy management

Audit a system or facility to AS/NZS 3598

Develop an energy management plan for your organisation

Conduct an airtightness test in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 9972 to identify possible energy efficiency improvements

Conduct an engineering feasibility study for an energy efficiency upgrade

Assess the feasibility of an investment that would reduce your energy use

Energy monitoring

Purchase and install equipment to meter, monitor and record energy use

Short term hire of energy metering equipment

Digitalise energy meters/sub meters or sensors relating to energy using processes

Automatic fault detection for energy using equipment/processes

Implement an energy data management system

Power supply

Install power factor correction

Install voltage optimisation

Replace or expand switchboard or electricity distribution to facilitate electrification of equipment

Lighting

Replace non-LED lights with LEDs

Install automatic lighting control equipment

Heat Pumps

Replace existing fossil fuel or inefficient electric powered equipment for heating, drying or cooling with a heat pump system equivalent

Process automation and controls

Replace existing control equipment to reduce energy use or improve monitoring

Optimise an energy using process based on sensors and meters

Programming of controls and automation equipment

Upgrade existing control equipment to enable energy efficiency

Recommissioning of processes

Remote monitoring equipment for agricultural water levels, stock or pasture condition and associated communications infrastructure

Upgrades for other process control equipment that improves energy efficiency

Install energy efficient controls for existing refrigeration equipment

Compressed air control improvements that improve energy efficiency

Upgrade or tune HVAC controls or Building Management System for improved energy efficiency

Install temperature sensors on a heat exchanger

Install and program new or replacement controllers, timers or sensors for existing air conditioning equipment

Process optimisation - install sensors to improve control of hot water temperature

Upgrade commercial refrigeration controls

Install automatic controls or monitoring equipment that enable energy efficiency

Reconfigure/ Optimise Processes

Reconfigure system to reduce the quantity, quality or pressure of air required

Retooling to eliminate inappropriate uses of compressed air, replacing nozzles, re-installing solenoid valves closer to the actuator

Replace an inefficient compressed air system with an energy efficient electric powered system

Reconfigure process equipment to reduce heating needs

Reconfigure process equipment to add heat recovery, solar pre-heat, or improve condensate return

Reconfigure process equipment to use UV, ultrasonic or chemical cleaning or sterilisation as an alternative to hot water or steam

Recover heat from refrigeration oil coolers, desuperheaters or condensers

Reconfigure process equipment to reduce evaporation needs

Reconfigure process equipment to reduce cooling needs

Process optimisation - install pressure sensing equipment or flow control valves to reduce pump pressure

Process optimisation - modify/replace nozzles or outlets to reduce hot water demand

Install other heat recovery processes

Upgrades to motors, including for compressors, pumps, fans, conveyors, mixers and blowers

Replace a motor with an electronically commutated motor

Install a variable speed drive for any motor

Replace a motor with a higher efficiency motor, or a lower power motor that is better matched to its duty point

Replace a pump, fan, industrial blower, conveyor, compressor or industrial mixer with a more energy efficient equivalent

Building fabric upgrades

Install external shading to protect windows from sunlight

Install heavyweight or insulating blinds to replace existing lightweight window coverings (or where no coverings were previously installed)

Install pelmets on windows that are fitted with heavyweight drapes or insulating blinds

Replace windows with double or triple/glazed windows with thermally broken or uPVC frames

Insulate roofs/ceilings

Insulate walls

Install weather stripping or exhaust dampers to reduce air leakage

Install airtight seals on windows and/or doors

Install draught proofing measures

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Replace an existing chiller used in an air conditioning system with a new chiller

Replace an existing air conditioning compressor, condenser and/or indoor unit with more efficient equipment

Replace an existing air conditioner with a new high efficiency unit

Replace a HVAC compressor, boiler, space heating hot water heater, chiller or cooling tower with a higher efficiency unit

Install or upgrade an economy cycle on an air conditioning unit

Install carbon monoxide sensors or carbon dioxide sensors to control ventilation

Replace air distribution equipment to facilitate fan energy savings

Retrofit electronic expansion valves to HVAC compressor or chiller

Replace a fossil fueled heater and/or cooler with a reverse cycle air-conditioner

Commercial refrigeration

Replace an existing refrigerated display cabinet with a new high efficiency unit

Replace a refrigeration compressor

Install an automatic air purging and water purging for ammonia refrigeration systems

Install night blinds, glass doors or lids, or rapid close doors on refrigerated spaces

Upgrade insulation on a cool room or upgrade a cool room to be airtight

Retrofit an electronic TX valve for a refrigeration compressor or chiller

Install a (small) low-load chiller or refrigeration unit or a variable speed compressor for low loads, isolated loads or capacity modulation

Replace an air-cooled refrigeration/chiller unit with a water cooled-unit

Replace an existing liquid chiller, refrigerator, compressor or cool room with a higher efficiency unit

Install automatic controls to switch off refrigeration fan when cold room door is open

Compressed Air Improvements

Replace air compressor with higher efficiency unit or install variable capacity unit for trim control

Reconfigure intake to use cooler or cleaner air

Install economiser regulators

Optimise compressed air storage

Water Heating

Recover heat from cooling system or air compressor

Upgrade insulation on hot water pipes, valves and fittings

Install chemical sanitisation equipment to reduce hot water demand

Replace an existing hot water system with a more efficient new heat pump or solar thermal hot water heater

Replace an existing pool heater with a new heat pump or solar thermal pool heating system

Install solar thermal preheat

Replace an existing pool pump with a variable speed pump

Provide a swimming pool cover to a currently uncovered heated pool

Other process heating, cooling, drying and pumping improvements

Replace an existing liquid chilling package with a new high efficiency unit

Replace an existing pump or fan with a higher efficiency pump or fan

Install an oxygen trim system on a gas fired steam boiler

Replace a burner on a gas fired steam boiler

Install an economiser or condenser on a gas fired steam boiler

Install a sensor-based blowdown control on a gas steam fired steam boiler

Install a blowdown flash steam heat recovery system on a gas fired steam boiler

Install a residual blowdown heat exchanger on gas fired steam boiler

Convert a process from steam to hot water

Replace a fossil fuel powered commercial kitchen oven, stove/cooktop, char grill, griddle, flat plate grill or deep fryer with an electric powered commercial kitchen equivalent

Replace conventional heating or drying equipment with pulsed fluid bed drying, radiant infrared heating or drying, ohmic heating or drying, microwave heating or drying, induction heating or drying, radio frequency heating or drying

Install low-load heating equipment for small loads, isolated loads or capacity modulation

Improve the insulation or sealing of ovens or other heating equipment

Install an oxygen trim control or modulating burner on a boiler

Install a sensor-based blowdown control on a boiler

Replace compressed air blowers with an electrically driven blower system

Replace compressed air operated diaphragm pump with an electrically driven pump

Install a small blower or pump to efficiently service low loads or isolated loads.

Replace aerators or blowers with mixers or membrane aerated biofilm reactor

Replace surface aerators or coarse aeration with fine bubble aeration

Insulate pipework, fittings, or vessels containing hot or cold fluids

Modify system to reduce pressure drops or the volume of fluid circulated

Replace static spray nozzles with rotary spray nozzles or impact jet cleaning nozzles for tank cleaning

Replace plate coolers

Install or upgrade cooling towers to pre-cool product

Install variable head pressure controller/sensors on refrigeration compressor

Replace transfer pump with more efficient unit or lower pressure unit

Install electronic control valves on chiller/compressor

Install insulation, steam traps or other works to improve condensate recovery

If you are interested in applying for this grant, the eligibility criteria is shown below:

Have a Australian Business Number

Operate from one of the following entity types:

Company (incorporated in Australia)

Partnership

Sole Trader

Incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust

Businesses with a employee headcount from 1 to 199 employees averaged over any consecutive 12 month period since 1 July 2020.

Businesses need to be trading for a minimum of 24 months

For further information and if you are interested in applying, please refer to the Business.gov.au.

If you would like further information in relation to the above grant funding program or would like assistance with the application, please contact Naomi Green on 07 4688 8400.