FROM Apr 1, firms can get support for up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs of energy-efficient technologies such as lighting, air-conditioning, boilers and air compressors, up from the current cap of 50 per cent, under the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F).

This will "help the manufacturing sector mitigate the impact of higher carbon tax", said Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, in Parliament on Tuesday (Mar 8), in a joint segment on the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

The E2F helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with industrial facilities defray the cost of improving energy efficiency, with energy-efficient technologies being 1 of 5 grant components.

These energy-efficient equipment or technologies must have a proven track record of energy savings in an industrial facility, and must result in measurable and verifiable energy savings.

Qualifying costs that can be covered include external manpower, equipment or technology and professional services. Grants awarded will vary based on the carbon abatement achieved, with higher support for projects with higher carbon abatement.

From Apr 1, the grant application and disbursement process will also be made easier to help applicants save both time and costs.

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The measurement and verification of energy savings will be streamlined, while grant application and disbursement processes for standard retrofits projects that involve LED lighting or small energy-efficient air-conditioners will be simplified.

Fu urged companies to take advantage of the higher support level early.

Companies pursuing energy efficiency are encouraged to tap the low-cost energy assessments offered by the Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC), a collaboration between the NEA and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) since 2020.

Both organisations are now working on the next phase of the EETC: developing manpower capabilities in energy efficiency.

This includes setting up a training-and-simulation centre where skills can be learnt and practised in a controlled and safe environment, while replicating real-world conditions, Fu added.

Get the latest updates on Budget 2022 here: bt.sg/budget22

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