Energy consulting in small and medium-sized businesses; application for funding

If you choose to receive energy advice for non-residential buildings, you can apply for an energy advice grant.

Description

Energy consulting can help you uncover unused savings potential in your company or municipality. This can help you reduce your ongoing operating costs.
You can receive funding of up to EUR 10,000 for the following measure:

  • expert energy consulting to
    • buildings,
    • facilities and
    • user behavior

in your company or municipality and to identify specific energy-saving potential.

You will not receive funding

  • for measures required by law,
  • if you have already concluded the contract with the energy consultant before you submitted the application and the contract does not contain a proviso clause,
  • if the energy consulting is to be carried out in buildings that are predominantly used for residential purposes,
  • if the results of the consulting do not have a direct impact on energy consumption
  • if you carry out the consultancy yourself in your own company or have it carried out by a partner company.
  • the consulting recipient is a company on whose assets insolvency proceedings have been filed or opened,
  • the consulting recipient is a company that has received de minimis subsidies totaling at least EUR 200,000 (EUR 100,000 in the case of companies in the road transport sector) in the current year as well as in the previous 2 fiscal years, including the subsidy under these guidelines,
  • the recipient of the consultancy is a company that is otherwise excluded under Article 1 of the de minimis Regulation.

The amount of the grant is calculated as follows:

Module 1 (energy audit according to DIN EN 16247):

  • If the annual energy costs exceed EUR 10,000 (net), the grant amounts to 80 percent of the eligible consulting fee, but not more than EUR 6,000.
  • If the annual energy costs do not exceed EUR 10,000 (net), the subsidy amounts to 80 percent of the eligible consulting fee, but not more than EUR 1,200.

Module 2 (energy consulting in accordance with DIN V 18599):
The funding amount is 80 percent of the eligible consulting fee, up to a maximum of EUR 8,000. The exact amount depends on the net floor area of the building in question:

  • Net floor area less than 200 m2: Subsidy maximum EUR 1,700;
  • Net floor area between 200 m2 and 500 m2: Grant maximum EUR 5,000;
  • Net floor area more than 500 m2: Grant maximum EUR 8,000.

Module 3 (Contracting Orientation Consulting):

  • If the annual energy costs do not exceed EUR 300,000 (net), the subsidy amounts to 80 percent of the eligible consulting fee, but a maximum of EUR 7,000.
  • If the annual energy costs of the building or pool of buildings under consideration exceed EUR 300,000 (net), the subsidy amounts to 80 percent of the eligible consulting fee, but not more than EUR 10,000.

Eligible costs are:

  • Costs for energy consulting if it is carried out by an energy expert approved by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).

The subsidy is a grant that covers part of the costs. You do not have to repay this grant.
You will only receive the grant once you have completed your energy consulting. To do this, you must prove

  • that you have paid for the energy consulting and
  • Submit an energy consulting report.

You must keep all invoices and receipts related to the eligible costs.
BAFA processes the applications for the grant.
You are not entitled to the grant.

Notes:
The funding is subject to the availability of the budgeted funds.
You are also obliged to provide information to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Audit Office at any time for monitoring and control purposes.
In the event of an audit by the aforementioned institutions, you must be able to demonstrate the differentiation in terms of content and costs from any other funding measures.

Prerequisites

Applications can be submitted by:

  • Local authorities (municipalities, cities, districts);
  • municipal special-purpose associations in accordance with the relevant special-purpose association law.
  • Non-profit organizations, religious communities with corporate status, as well as their institutions and foundations within the meaning of Section 5 (1) No. 9 of the Corporation Tax Act;
  • SMEs with their registered office and business operations in Germany;
  • Non-SMEs with registered offices and business operations in Germany whose total energy consumption across all energy sources does not exceed 500,000 kilowatt hours per year pursuant to Section 8 (4) EDL-G;
  • Freelance professionals with their registered office and business operations in Germany;

Further requirements:

  • You must plan your measure with an energy efficiency expert. This expert must be approved by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) for federal funding in the program Energy consulting in for non-residential buildings, plants and systems (EBN) for the respective module.
  • If your measure is funded in accordance with this guideline, you may not use public funds from other federal funding programs for similar measures, for example corresponding consulting programs.

Procedure

You, or energy consultants authorized by you, must submit the application for funding directly online to the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).

  • Find an energy efficiency expert approved by BAFA. Use the website of the German Energy Agency (dena) for this purpose. Ask this expert to give you a cost estimate for the energy consulting.
  • Go to the BAFA website and open the online form.
    • Fill out the form,
    • submit the required documents electronically and
    • submit it.
  • After submitting the application form, you have the option to save the application as a PDF document.
  • After submitting the application, within a few minutes you will receive an email confirmation of receipt with your transaction number and the link to the upload portal.
  • Now you can sign the contract with your energy expert at your own risk and start consulting.
  • BAFA will check your application. If the application is approved, you or your authorized energy consultant will receive a notification of funding by mail.
  • Once the energy consulting has been completed, you must provide evidence of how your grant was used. To do this, you fill out the proof of use form online. Here you also upload the documents required for the proof of use.
  • Once BAFA has checked your proof of use, BAFA will transfer your grant to your account.

Deadlines

- Application deadline:

  • until 31.12.2024
  • before the start of the measure

- Implementation of the consulting: within 12 months after receipt of the grant notice
- Proof of implementation of the consulting: within 3 months after the end of the grant period

Processing time

The processing of where-used lists usually takes about 4 weeks. (1 week)

Required documents

  • Required Documents

    When submitting your application, you must submit:

    • completed application form
    • Offer or cost estimate of the consultant (the amount of the planned consultant's fee must be clearly stated)
    • Self-commitment or self-declaration of the energy consultant

    When you have completed your consultation, you must submit the following documents:

    • electronic declaration of use
    • Document: declarations after implementation
    • Copy of the invoice issued by the energy consultant or his/her employer in the name of the advised company/municipality
    • Energy consulting report
    • Proof of payment documenting the non-cash full payment of the consulting costs

Online procedures

Fees

  • Levy: none

Remedy

  • Opposition

Status:16.04.2023

Responsible for editing:Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz

  • Online transactions, Bavaria-wide
  • Online transactions, locally limited
  • Form, Bavaria-wide
  • Form, locally limited
  • Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide
  • Legal bases, Bavaria-wide
  • Legal bases, locally limited
  • Fees, Bavaria-wide
  • Fees, locally limited
Information

Responsible for you

If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.