Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012

Energy Efficiency Fund.

14.— (1) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, establish a fund to be known as the Energy Efficiency Fund (“Fund”).

(2) The Fund shall be managed and controlled by the Minister or a person acting on behalf of the Minister.

(3) The Minister shall pay into the Fund the amount of any contribution from an energy supplier under an energy efficiency notice.

(4) A statement of moneys paid into and out of the Fund shall be shown in a special note to the Appropriation Account under the Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Vote.

(5) The objectives of the Fund are—

(a) to support the delivery of energy efficiency improvement programmes and other energy efficiency improvement measures,

(b) to promote the development of a market for energy efficiency improvement measures, and

(c) to promote energy audits and financial instruments for energy savings.

(6) Without prejudice to the Fund’s objectives, the Fund may be used for the alleviation of energy poverty (within the meaning of a document entitled “Warmer Homes — A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland” published by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources).

(7) The Fund may, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, directly or through such other person as the Minster may specify, issue or provide grants, loans, financial guarantees and such other types of financial support as may be determined by the Minister, in order to further its objectives, as outlined in subsection (5) or for the alleviation of energy poverty or both.

(8) Grants, loans, financial guarantees and other types of financial support issued or provided under subsection (7), may be so issued or provided through an energy efficiency improvement programme and subject to the terms and conditions of that programme.

(9) The Minister, or such other person as the Minister may nominate, may publicly invite proposals to avail of moneys or other financial supports from the Fund. This invitation shall outline the criteria, consistent with the objectives of the Fund, to be used to assess proposals.

(10) Without prejudice to any contractual arrangements entered into by the Fund, the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, may wind-up the Fund at any time.

(11) Any money in the Fund upon its winding-up shall be disposed of by the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in such manner as the Minister considers appropriate in the circumstances having regard to the amount of money in the Fund and the purpose for which the Fund was established.