New guideline from 1 December 2017!
On 1 December 2017, a new guideline on the promotion of energy advisory services for small and medium-sized companies will come into force. The new guideline replaces the previous guideline of 1 December 2015.
The funding programme contributes to achieving the energy and climate policy goals of the Federal Government. Qualified energy consulting is intended to show small and medium-sized companies potential savings and measures to improve their energy efficiency.
The following main changes will be effective from 1 December 2017:
- The circle of energy consultants is extended. All energy consultants with the required professional qualifications can be admitted to the support programme. The energy consultants must commit themselves by self-declaration to the BAFA and the respective company to provide manufacturer-, supplier-, product- and sales-neutral advice.
- Energy consultants require liability insurance to obtain approval, which covers claims for damages in connection with energy consulting services.
- The promotion of implementation support is no longer required. For an energy consultancy, the maximum funding amount is therefore reduced from 8,000 euros to 6,000 euros (applies to companies with annual energy costs of over 10,000 euros).
An overview of all the new provisions in the new Directive can be found at here.
For applicants it can be conducive to a systematic and targeted exchange of experience to network with each other, for example in the framework of the „Initiative Energy Efficiency Networks“.