Breaking news! New energy upgrade funding for Australian councils

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The Australian Government's $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund is, is now open for applications!

 

The key details:

• Councils can apply for co-funding grants between $25,000 and $2.5 million, where the grant will be a maximum of 50% of the project cost.(1)

• The grant guidelines are available on the program website

• 30 April 2024 - round 1 grant applications close

• September 2024 - funded projects for round 1 are expected to start being implemented

• January 2025 - round 2 grant applications scheduled to open

 

Funding assessment criteria:
 

• Assessment criterion 1: Describe how your project will reduce local government greenhouse gas emissions and/or provide load flexibility (30 points).

• Assessment criterion 2: Wider impact of the grant funding (20 points).

• Assessment criterion 3: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project (30 points).

• Assessment criterion 4: Economic and social benefits (20 points).

 

Round 1 closes on the 30 April 2024, so you only have four months to complete the work if you want to get first round funding!

Our recommended steps for planning your project and application

While the potential benefits are huge, the application process is not simple, especially if you are planning an aquatic centre energy upgrade for your project. We recommend following a process that demonstrates you have properly investigated the upgrade requirements to ensure the project delivers value for money. That would typically involve:
 

1. Engaging an energy consultant to map energy flows with at least 12 months of data to understand the average and peak heating loads as well as ensuring you have the right data so you can claim  white certificates and demonstrate an energy performance improvement for the centre (expect this to take 2 to 4 weeks). Note that white certificates (VEECs in Victoria and ESCs in NSW) could return you more than 20% of the project value in certificate value.

2. Engaging an energy consultant to perform and energy audit (preferably Type 2 according to AS3598) so you can incorporate energy efficiency in to your project and maximise the economic returns and greenhouse gas reduction (expect this to take 3 to 4 weeks)

3. Engaging a consultant to perform a feasibility study which will allow the government to assess the project scope and hence value for money (see our webinar for this) (expect this to take 4 to 6 weeks)

4. Ensuring that the system is designed with electrical load-flexing in mind - i.e. having a strategy that allows you to reduce electrical consumption during periods of peak demand, which could involve controls to increase heating during the middle of the day and stop heating the pool for a few hours in the evening (this work is done as part of the feasibility study). 
    

If you would like to be connected with experienced consultants and suppliers that understand these requirement, please let us know.
 

Tap our resources to build your knowledge and capacity

With support from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), A2EP and Sustainable Business are rolling out webinars and workshops for council officers to increase awareness and capacity for decarbonising and improving energy productivity in aquatic centres. You are invited to participate in all coming events and utilise all our resources to inform your planning and grant applications.

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Stay up to date on this unmissable funding opportunity by signing up for local government energy updates from A2EP.