All companies in Northern Ireland licensed by the Utility Regulator, who accept the terms and sign the Accedence Agreement, are eligible to bid for funds as well as other organisations that have met the required criteria and registered with the Programme Administrator, currently the Energy Saving Trust (EST), to become Primary Bidders.
Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) funding is available for energy efficiency schemes which must be implemented in the 2020-21 programme year.
All Primary Bidders intending to bid for funding for the coming year must:
1. Complete the Call for Schemes Registration Form and return it to EST by 1 October 2019;
2. Sign and return the Accedence Document to EST by 1 November 2019;
3. Send a copy of their organisation’s fraud policy and fraud response plan, including a statement of zero tolerance to fraud, to EST by 1 November 2019.
Copies of the Registration Form and Accedence Document are available from the links above and from EST. Failure to submit any of these documents on time may result in scheme submissions being rejected.
The NISEP Framework Document, to be published in September 2019, provides the rules and procedures for organisations wishing to participate in the 2020-21 NISEP. This document has been updated since the previous version published in September 2018. The Framework Document contains detailed information relating to the operation of the NISEP and also to the process for submitting scheme proposals. Primary Bidders must ensure that they adhere to all the requirements for submitting a bid, as set out in Section 4 of the Framework Document, and include all the necessary information within their submission.
Any organisations that are interested in submitting schemes but have not yet registered to become a Primary Bidder should contact the Programme Administrator as soon as possible and at the latest 27 September 2019 (to allow time for the registration process). The criteria that must be met in order for an organisation to be allowed to register are set out in section 1.4 of the Framework Document.
The total NISEP funding available for 2020-21 is £7,941,946 (this figure includes the Programme Administrator’s fee). 80% of the funding available for schemes targets priority (vulnerable) domestic properties, i.e. low income households deemed to be in, or at risk of, fuel poverty. The remaining 20% of the funding can be used for schemes aimed at non-priority customers, including both domestic and non-domestic customers. Within these two main categories, there are further ring-fenced divisions of the funding which are detailed in section 1.7 of the Framework Document.
Submissions for scheme funding should be sent to EST which, as Programme Administrator, evaluates schemes on the Utility Regulator’s behalf. Contact details for EST are given below. Following receipt of the completed registration form, EST will send out a submission pack including electronic copies of the most up-to-date versions of the submission summary form and the excel spreadsheet which must be used for scheme submissions.
The deadline for the submission of schemes is 29 November 2019. EST will give advice and guidance to Primary Bidders up until this date but schemes must be in their final and complete format by the deadline. Any bids received after 29 November 2019 may not be considered for funding and any submissions that are incomplete or of insufficient quality may also be rejected. Please note that it is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that the information provided within their scheme submissions is accurate and fully compliant with the Framework Document.
EST will evaluate the proposals for schemes, as part of a competitive process, and make recommendations to the Utility Regulator for approval.
The Utility Regulator will hope to formally notify applicants by 28 February 2020 whether or not their submissions have been successful in obtaining funding but please note that delays to the approvals process may occur if the Programme Administrator is required to seek clarification and/or further information on points within any of the scheme submissions.
Bids for funding should be made to:
NISEP Programme Administrator
Energy Saving Trust (NI)
Titanic Suites
55-59 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8FE