The second call of the EENergy project has been launched, allowing Enterprise Europe Network clients of any industry and size to apply for a grant of 10,000 €.
In the second round, just over € 2 million is still left across the European Single Market, which will be drawn proportionally among all the applications submitted.
How to participate
To participate in the EENergy open call and become eligible to receiving a grant, SMEs must work with specialised sustainability advisers from the Enterprise Europe Network, who will support interested SMEs in designing a customised energy efficiency action plan and submitting their application to the EENergy open call.
The application is straightforward and is available on the project website.
In addition, all participants (both funded and regular beneficiaries) are submitting data on energy spending allowing the World Bank to develop a study on average energy spending among companies and their needs for energy efficiency improvements. The collected data will be shared with the European Comission for further research and use in the development of future support programmes.
Implementation of energy efficiency improvements
Hanne Bregendahl Pihl, coordinator of the EENergy project states: "EENergy provides an opportunity for companies in any industry to apply for the implementation of energy efficiency improvements, regardless of the previously received state support in other activities. This project allows European Union aid to be better targeted in areas where the need for support is seen by local partners who work with different sectors on a daily basis. Such support is extremely important for small and micro enterprises, as well as for those whose industries often fall outside the scope of other support programmes, as they allow for the introduction of sustainable solutions to promote their energy independence and sustainability. In addition the participation in the European wide study allows each and every company to bring their opinion on future support programs necessary."
Initially 1626 projects were submitted under the 1st EENergy Call. After quality check and randomisation of 50 % applications (randomisation method provided by World Bank), companies have been divided to regular beneficiaries and funded beneficiaries which makes up 700 funded beneficiaries that were invited to sign contracts and proceed with energy efficiency project funding.
Meanwhile, the rest of the companies proceeded with their energy efficiency project implementations and remained beneficiaries of EEN services. All projects implemented under the EENergy project are up-to-date and available for consultation online, in the User Cases section.
The most popular areas where projects were submitted in the 1st Call included:
- installation of alternative energy sources (solar panel systems, small wind turbines, heat pumps),
- prevention of energy losses (insulation, replacement of windows and doors, modernization of heating systems),
- replacement of energy consumers to more sustainable ones (replacement of lighting fixtures, ventilation systems and other components, such as servers in IT companies)
- energy efficiency trainings and consultancy
The EENergy project (101143477) is funded by the European Union through the Single Market programme and is implemented in cooperation with Enterprise Europe Network. EENergy aims to support 900 companies over 2 years with a total of EUR 9 million. € grant funding in all European Single Market countries with one-off grants of €10,00 with 100% aid intensity. For more detailed information, consult the official EENergy project website and visit the social media channels.
