Energy Efficiency Capital Grant

These conditions apply to the earlier intake, whose criteria are under review.

• The applicant had to be a registered business trading in Northern Ireland for at least two years. The project had to be in Northern Ireland at non-domestic business-rated premises. A business exempt from rates could supply evidence of exemption. Tenants needed a lease with more time remaining than the project's payback period, and landlord permission; written consent was required for structural or external alterations. Support had to be repaid in full if an unapproved project was stopped or removed.
• The applicant had to be the direct energy user and cover its energy bills. The combined eligible spend had to be at least £4,000 excluding VAT. Each project had to pass its own savings test.
• For energy-efficiency projects, a 1–8-year payback required at least 25% energy savings and 25% carbon savings; an 8–10-year payback required at least 50% of each. For renewable-energy projects, the corresponding carbon-saving tests were at least 10% and 50%. Payback means equipment capital cost divided by annual energy-cost savings on site, before deducting the grant. Renewable projects could not count export payments in this calculation.
• Small enterprises had fewer than 50 employees and turnover and/or a balance-sheet total no greater than €10 million. Medium enterprises had 50–249 employees and turnover no greater than €50 million or a balance-sheet total no greater than €43 million. Other enterprises were large. Group figures and ownership rules applied: holdings over 25% required the full definition to be checked; qualifying non-controlling public investment corporations, venture-capital companies and institutional investors were excepted from that holding threshold. Enterprises at least 25% publicly controlled could not meet these size definitions.
• Excluded applicants included primary agriculture and horticulture, fishing and aquaculture production, sports organisations and related companies, charities, non-private healthcare, schools and higher/further education, and energy-generation, distribution or infrastructure businesses. Franchises that were not autonomous enterprises under Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC were excluded.
• Government organisations and bodies, government-funded or part-owned/supported businesses, and businesses fully or partly government-funded were excluded. The project could not receive or seek other government support or funding from other support schemes or incentives. Applicants with an outstanding Invest NI grant-clawback liability could be considered only with a satisfactory repayment plan.
• The business and its senior managers could not be subject to current bankruptcy orders, Individual or Company Voluntary Arrangements, County Court Judgements or director disqualification. The applicant could not be involved in a Company Voluntary Arrangement through the applicant or a linked company. Invest NI conducted credit and identity checks and could refuse reputational-risk businesses, including gambling, tobacco, unauthorised cannabis products and adult entertainment.
• Excluded projects included fossil fuels, combined heat and power, biomass burners, mobile/offsite equipment, new builds, business expansion, vehicles and charging points, second-hand equipment, leasing and hire purchase, equipment subscriptions, ongoing software licences and in-house staff costs. Relocation to existing premises could be considered by a Technical Advisor. Projects solely meeting legal requirements, savings not directly linked to the equipment, or savings mainly from material efficiency were excluded. Application forms were not issued while an existing project remained active.
• Own funds or unsecured lending could finance the purchase, but other finance could not be secured on the equipment. Associated-company purchases, trade-ins and part exchanges were ineligible. Planning, building-control and grid-connection application fees, project management, ancillary works and extra infrastructure were excluded; direct equipment installation costs remained eligible.

The operative July guidance applied subsidy-control rules and, where trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the EU could be affected, Regulation (EU) 2023/2831. It stated a €300,000 de minimis aid ceiling over any three years: this limits the company's combined aid counted under that regulation, including this grant. Breaching the ceiling or aid rules could make the whole grant recoverable.

Support was paid net of VAT. Payments had to use bank or credit-card accounts in the applicant legal entity's name used exclusively for business, with itemised statements. Cash, cryptocurrency, credit notes, vouchers, recharges, directors' loan accounts, escrow, inter-company offsets and contra settlements were not accepted.

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For the earlier intake, the applicant business first completed the business/project eligibility checker and discussed the proposal with an Invest NI Technical Advisor. Potentially eligible applicants then completed business eligibility and project feasibility assessments, followed by submission through the Invest NI Customer Portal. Invest NI dealt directly with the business at enquiry stage; using a consultant at application stage required additional portal access.

The application required two years of company and parent-company accounts. If audited accounts were unavailable, an explanation and unaudited or management accounts covering the two financial years could be supplied. Energy calculations used the previous 12 months of actual consumption, not projected future consumption, and Invest NI's cost/carbon calculator. Supplier quotes had to be addressed to the applicant, itemise costs and VAT, identify an independent supplier, and be obtained within two months before submission. Proforma invoices were not accepted; foreign-currency quotes needed dated exchange-rate evidence. Later price increases were not covered.

For onsite renewable projects, Invest NI instructed applicants to secure grid and planning permissions before submission. For projects requiring a grid connection under G99/NI rules, Invest NI would only begin processing the grant application after receiving the grid-connection offer letter from NIE Networks.

Applicants had to wait for the Letter of Offer before beginning the project. Signing contracts, authorising work, raising invoices or making payments beforehand made the entire project ineligible. The offer had to be signed and returned. Applicants were responsible for required planning, building-control and landlord consents, and had to seek Invest NI approval before changing the project.

Projects had to finish within one year of the offer date. An exceptional extension could be considered individually; otherwise Invest NI could cancel the offer. The named applicant had to pay the costs and submit the Claim Pack by the offer's claim deadline, retaining proof of Invest NI receiving it. Claims over £25,000 required Invest NI's auditor-certificate format. A Technical Advisor inspected the installed equipment and photographed its identifiers before payment. An evaluation 18 months after completion could involve further site visits and required equipment-performance information where applicable.