Aid and Funding

The funding of investments aiming for energy efficiency may be problematic in many municipalities and joint municipal authorities. Many, even financially sound, energy saving investment can remain unrealised due to funding problems. This is why government aid and financing models are available for the funding of energy efficient investments.

Aid for energy audits

Tekes and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment may grant municipalities that have signed the Energy Efficiency Agreement for Municipalities or the municipal sector’s energy programme aid for an energy audit. The maximum amount of such aid is 50 per cent of the accepted costs. The maximum amount of aid granted for municipal renewable energy audits to municipalities that have signed the Energy Efficiency Agreement for Municipalities is 60 per cent.

Aid for energy conserving investments

Tekes and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment may grant investment aid for, among others, projects that promote the conservation of energy and energy efficiency. The focus lies on project that use new technology. Corporations that have joined the energy efficiency agreement scheme are also eligible for aid for the implementation of conventional energy saving investments. Such aid is subject to case-specific discretion.

ESCO funding

An energy conservation investment may also be financed wholly with funding provided by a third party or, in other words, with the help of what is referred to as the ESCO service concept.

An ESCO service is a service business in which an external energy expert implements investments and measures aiming to conserve energy in a customer company. An ESCO operator (energy service company) undertakes to achieve, in the agreed manner, the goals for increasing the efficiency of energy use in the customer company.

The ESCO service provider can be a separate ESCO company, a contractor, energy company, or a company that manufactures and installs energy efficient equipment or systems.