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20% Funding for Commercial Voltage Optimisation Available in Northern Ireland

Following confirmation of the available schemes collectively funded by all electricity customers in Northern Ireland, commercial businesses can now access funding to support the installation of a broad range of energy efficiency improvements. This includes voltage optimisation, which has the potential to significantly reduce costs across a commercial site. 

Collectively known as the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme, schemes under NISEP are managed by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland. In total, around £8 million will be allocated via the scheme, originally collected from both domestic and commercial electricity customers across Northern Ireland through the public service obligation. 

The NISEP Framework Document for the next two years of the scheme has now been published, outlining the schemes available and the technologies that will be supported.  

While most available schemes are focused on supporting vulnerable domestic customers and improving the energy efficiency of housing stock in Northern Ireland, the Commercial Energy Saving Scheme is open to all businesses. Under this mechanism, businesses can secure a grant of 20% towards the installation of an energy efficiency improvement. 

This includes a wide variety of technologies, including boiler heating, heat pumps, LED lighting, variable speed technologies, solar PV, and Powerstar voltage optimisation, amongst others.  

For businesses across a broad range of sectors, Powerstar’s patented voltage optimisation can deliver substantial savings on energy costs by reducing and conditioning incoming voltage to a site. Like the rest of the UK, the average site in Northern Ireland receives an overvoltage from the grid. This is substantially higher than the 220V that most electrical equipment is designed to run at most efficiently. Not only does this overvoltage increase energy consumption, but it can also substantially increase wear and tear on equipment and subsequent maintenance costs. 

By conditioning incoming voltage down to an optimal level, voltage optimisation boosts energy efficiency across a site, as well as reducing associated emissions and costs, and protecting sensitive equipment against disruption from fluctuating voltage. 

Eligible businesses can apply for the grant via Power NI.