EXEED Capital Investment Supports (Stage 2)

About this scheme

The EXEED (Excellence in Energy Efficient Design) capital investment support is Stage 2 of SEAI's two-stage EXEED scheme, funding the equipment, installation and professional services needed to implement an energy efficiency or decarbonisation project built to the EXEED-certified standard. It covers projects such as a new design, major renovation, major upgrade, or repurposing of an existing asset, once feasibility has been established. Grant funding of up to 40% of eligible costs is available, up to €3,000,000 per project, subject to a value-for-money cap based on the CO2 savings the project delivers. A portion of the grant is held back until EXEED certification and verification of energy savings are complete. Applicants apply online via SEAI's portal, submitting declarations, a Technical Workbook and other supporting documents; SEAI evaluates the application over 4-8 weeks (longer for grants above €1,000,000) before issuing a Letter of Offer, with the final balance released after inspection and certification.

Who can apply

• Open to any organisation, but primarily aimed at large energy users (typically more than 100,000 kWh per year)
• Applicant should already have established feasibility (typically via EXEED Stage 1 design and feasibility support)
• Eligible project types: a new design project (e.g. a new building), a major renovation of existing buildings/assets, a major upgrade to existing structures, or repurposing of an existing asset
• The designed or re-engineered asset must operate and be located in the Republic of Ireland
• Excludes: transport emissions not related to an on-site process; the fisheries industry; non energy-related projects such as R&D
• Grant supports equipment (e.g. heat pumps, biomass boilers, solar PV), installation costs, and investment professional fees (e.g. an EED expert)
• Maximum grant intensity is up to 40% for all company sizes, capped at €3,000,000 per project and at €2,500 per tonne of CO2 saved annually by the project
• All requirements of EXEED certification must be implemented to receive the full grant; a 10% retainer (capped at €30,000) is withheld until EXEED certification and verification of energy savings are complete
• A Declaration of SME Qualification is required; without it, the grant is capped at a maximum of 30%
• Lead Applicant must submit required supporting documentation (Declaration of Solvency, Declaration of Financial Resources, Declaration of SME Qualification, Declaration of Incentive Effect, EXEED Technical Workbook, and a Stage 2 Multiple Buildings Form if applicable) before the application can be submitted

How to apply

1. 1The Lead Applicant from the organisation applies online using SEAI's application portal, attaching all required supporting documentation (Declaration of Solvency, Declaration of Financial Resources, Declaration of SME Qualification, Declaration of Incentive Effect, EXEED Technical Workbook, and a Stage 2 Multiple Buildings Form if applicable); the application cannot be submitted until all required documentation is attached.
2. 2SEAI evaluates the application, typically over 4 to 8 weeks (longer for grants over €1,000,000), assessing asset definition, EXEED process compliance, the implementation schedule, quality and transparency of proposed expenditure, return on investment, energy saving potential, grant incentive effect, energy saving methodology, and asset fossil fuel status; the project also receives an evaluation score based on the quality of Stage 1 studies, innovation demonstrated, energy/CO2 impact, and value for money.
3. 3If approved, the applicant receives a Letter of Offer from SEAI, allowing works on the project to begin.
4. 4Once the project is completed and inspected, the applicant receives the initial grant minus a 10% retainer, which is paid on EXEED certification and verification of the energy savings.