Small and medium businesses receive $20m worth of energy-efficiency grants

The federal government has pledged over $20 million in grants to help small and medium businesses and community groups improve energy efficiency.

Greg Combet, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, and Mark Dreyfus, Parliamentary Secretary, announced the 28 successful recipients of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants (EEIG) program on 17 May.

“These grants will enable organisations such as Master Grocers Australia to work with small grocery chains and help them assess how they can make smarter energy choices to reduce energy costs,” Combet said.

The government received over 200 applications for the first round of funding; round two will open in October. Dreyfus encouraged applicants who were unsuccessful in round one to consider reapplying for round two.

An independent committee assessed the applications, making its decision based on value for money, project effectiveness and delivery.

Recipients of the funding included the Moreland Energy Foundation, with its Easy Energy Efficiency for SMEs project, and the Australian Industry Group, with its Interactive online tools and resources and on-site support services project.

The $40 million EEIG program is part of the government’s Clean Energy Future (CEF) package.