Heat recovery and business energy-efficiency grant

Companies and other economically active organisations, associations, religious institutions and Austrian municipalities can apply. Foreign companies can qualify if the investment is at an operating site in Austria. Private individuals and solely private projects are excluded. The measure must mainly serve business use: more than 50%, normally assessed by business-use area; relevant capacity or heat flows may be used in justified cases.

• Investment costs must be at least €10,000 and strictly below €1 million. The project must save at least four tonnes of CO₂ a year, as assessed by KPC. Without the grant, the investment must have a payback period of at least three years: the applicable grant-cost basis explained above is compared with energy savings and other cost effects at the time of application. In the additional-cost route, this means the cost difference established by the counterfactual comparison, rather than all eligible investment costs.
• Heat recovery on refrigeration or ventilation equipment requires heat-exchanger capacity above 100 kW. Recirculation systems require nominal airflow above 50,000 m³/h. Ventilation heat recovery required by official permits or OIB Guideline 6 is excluded. Heating optimisation requires at least 10% energy savings; industrial efficiency improvements must make a substantial technological and environmental improvement to the existing equipment.
• Routine equipment replacement and improvements to fossil-fuel energy installations are excluded. Waste-heat heat pumps using fluorinated refrigerants are excluded if refrigerant global-warming potential (GWP) is at least 150 for thermal capacity up to 50 kW, or at least 750 above 50 kW. GWP measures the refrigerant's warming effect relative to CO₂. Heat pumps are excluded where connection to a highly efficient or climate-friendly district-heating network is possible.
• Free-cooling source development, such as wells or deep drilling, and components also intended for another use are excluded. So are the coolers needed for compression refrigeration even if they have a free-cooling function, operationally necessary ventilation ducts and pipes, and efficient motors or pumps in new installations.
• A municipal operation uses the business rules only if it covers more than 50% of costs under the European System of Accounts, keeps full accounts including assets and liabilities, and has substantial freedom to make decisions under a municipal organisational statute. In doubtful cases the municipal supervisory authority must confirm this status.
• Projects funded by agricultural or housing support are excluded. Simultaneous support under the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG) is prohibited. Existing electricity or heat generators supplying third parties and covered by EU emissions trading are excluded. Federal subordinate offices and projects fulfilling sovereign federal-administration tasks cannot receive support.

Leasing, hire purchase and contracting are available only for projects without EU co-financing. For leasing or hire purchase, ownership must pass to the recipient by the final instalment; grant payment is limited to deposits and instalments actually paid by final accounting, excluding interest and fees.

In contracting, an equipment or energy-service provider supplies the system under a contract with the customer. Who applies depends on who owns the equipment and records it as an asset in their accounts. If the customer owns and records the asset, only the customer can apply. The contract must provide for ownership to pass to the grant recipient by the final instalment, and grant payment is limited to the customer’s deposits and instalments actually paid by final accounting, excluding interest and fees. If the contractor owns and records the asset, only the contractor can apply; both contractor and customer must qualify, the contractor must demonstrate and maintain the predicted environmental benefit throughout the grant contract, and the grant must visibly benefit the customer. The contracting agreement must settle ownership. Apply before signing the finance contract or ordering equipment, whichever comes first.

Status

Løpende søknader

Vilkår for søknadsrunden

• Apply before the earliest binding order (except planning), delivery, construction start or other irreversible investment commitment.[^c6]

Apply online directly to Kommunalkredit Public Consulting (KPC) through the linked energy-saving application. Submit a complete application before the first binding order for services or equipment (planning services are excepted), delivery, construction start or any other commitment making the investment irreversible—whichever happens first. Incomplete applications must be rejected. After KPC confirms receipt, work may start at your own risk.

Provide the completed technical data sheet, the project and equipment before and after the change, a cost breakdown and available quotations, and a traceable comparison of energy use before and after implementation. Supply the counterfactual comparison where the additional-cost route applies. A bank report is required above €500,000 total investment; for businesses receiving ERDF co-financing, it is required above €50,000 instead. The application also requests ERDF support, with possible co-financing assessed by KPC.

Normally complete the project within 18 months of issue of the grant contract; only technically justified exceptions are allowed. Send final accounts, invoices and payment evidence no later than six months after the completion date fixed in the contract.