The Community Energy Upgrades program will co-fund energy efficiency and electrification upgrades for local governments to deliver reduced energy bills and emissions from local government owned and/or operated facilities.

What do you get?

Grants between $25,000 and $2,500,000 to cover up to 50% of eligible expenditure.

Who is this for?

Local government bodies.

About the program

The Community Energy Upgrades Fund Round 2 will provide matched funding of up to $2.5 million of eligible expenditure for energy efficiency and electrification upgrades for local governments to deliver reduced energy bills and emissions from local government-owned and/or operated facilities. The program will also support the Commonwealth led National Energy Performance Strategy (NEPS).

The objectives of the program are to support:

• the Government's broader efforts to reduce emissions and improve energy performance, and contribute to Australia meeting its emission reduction targets of 43 percent by 2030, Net-Zero emissions by 2050, and 82% renewable electricity generation by 2030
• local governments to decarbonise their operations and reduce energy bills through energy efficiency and load flexibility upgrades, and electrification of their existing facilities
• the improvement in energy performance necessary to more easily utilise renewable electricity and improve system reliability.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• reduced energy bills and emissions from local government-owned and/or operated facilities
• installed energy efficiency, load flexibility and electrification technology that is commercially available
• improved capability of local governments and the wider community to implement energy upgrades and electrification projects in their existing facilities
• increased capacity of domestic supply chains and labour force to support significant future investment in energy efficiency upgrades
• improved workforce skills in delivering and operating energy transition projects.

The program will deliver $100 million over 2 funding rounds and will run over 4 years from 2024-2025 to 2027-28.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)

And are one of the following entities:

• a local government body
• a joint local government body (as defined in section 14 of the guidelines).

You can't apply if you:

• an organisation included on the National Redress Scheme's list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• were a successful applicant in Community Energy Upgrades Fund Round 1 - this includes joint local government bodies funded in Community Energy Upgrades Fund Round 1
• are a member of a separate joint local government body application in Round 2.

• Phone: 13 28 46
• Email: enquiries@industry.gov.au