Energy Efficient Communities (EEC) Program - Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Grant

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What this article reported

This is an Australian wide program that opens on 12 Jan 2022 at 9am AEDT. This grant provides food & beverage manufacturing businesses up to $25,000 to improve energy efficiency practices and technologies and better manage energy consumption to reduce their power bills.

The program can provide grants towards energy efficiency projects, including:

Who is this for?

The grant is targeted at small and medium food and beverage manufacturing businesses, Australia wide, with less than 200 employees.

Qualifying Costs

The grant amount will be up to 100 per cent of eligible project expenditure (grant percentage).

The minimum grant amount is $10,000. The maximum grant amount is $25,000.

You will only need to contribute to costs if your project costs more than the maximum grant amount of $25,000 or if your project includes expenditure that is not eligible for funding.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

and be one of the following entities:

Can I claim certificates alongside this grant?

There are a number of Australian Federal & state government certificate schemes that provide for financial incentives, for businesses to participate in energy savings projects, subject to the grant opportunity guidelines, your business may be able to claim both.

Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process of getting funding. Let us help you! The application for each grant is different and the process can take time and effort. Contact us to walk you through everything from, processes, eligibility criteria and the grants, funding and financial assistance available at the moment.

How to use this information now

Before relying on a grant, confirm the current round, applicant and project eligibility, eligible expenditure, co-contribution, assessment process, closing date and evidence obligations. Build the technical case so the project remains understandable with grant support shown separately.

Separate source-reported facts from forecasts, targets and commentary. For a current project, retain the official source, version, effective date, assumptions and decision record in the evidence file.

What is the Energy Efficient Communities (EEC) Program for food and beverage manufacturing?

The EEC Program is an Australian-wide grant initiative that provided food and beverage manufacturing businesses up to $25,000 to improve energy efficiency practices and reduce power bills. The program opened on 12 January 2022 and closed on 3 March 2022. Eligible applicants were small and medium businesses with fewer than 200 employees. Funding could support energy audits, compressed air system audits, energy management planning, feasibility assessments, and installation of energy-efficient equipment (excluding solar PV). Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $25,000, covering up to 100 per cent of eligible project expenditure.

How can food and beverage manufacturers use EEC grant funds, and what does Northmore Gordon recommend as a starting point?

EEC funds can support energy audits to identify improvement opportunities, compressed air system assessments, energy management plan development, feasibility studies, and equipment installation. We recommend beginning with the production requirement: understanding what must be heated, cooled, moved, cleaned or controlled, and when. A prioritised opportunity register that names the decision, data gap, expected impact and owner creates a programme that operations and finance teams can act on. Our metering and monitoring assessments help establish reliable baseline data before selecting specific projects for implementation.

Can businesses combine EEC grant funding with other government incentives like energy-efficiency certificates?

Yes, subject to the grant opportunity guidelines, eligible businesses may claim both the EEC grant and certificates from Australian Federal and state government schemes. However, this requires careful assessment. Each funding stream has different eligibility criteria, timing requirements and evidence standards. Before combining support, explicitly check restrictions in each programme and the allocation of project costs, outcomes and rights. We recommend presenting projects with and without conditional contributions to ensure the investment decision remains sound if one incentive is delayed, reduced or unavailable.

What business entity types qualify for the EEC Program, and what documentation is required?

Eligible entities include private companies, public companies, incorporated trustees, co-operatives, incorporated not-for-profit organisations, indigenous corporations, sole traders, and partnerships. All applicants must hold an Australian Business Number (ABN). Eligibility is limited to food and beverage manufacturing businesses with fewer than 200 employees, operating anywhere in Australia. We can help eligible businesses confirm their eligibility status and prepare the evidence needed for grant applications, including energy bills, production records and existing studies.

Why does Northmore Gordon recommend an energy audit as part of the EEC grant planning process?

An energy audit investigates how a site uses energy and identifies improvement opportunities proportionate to real decisions. For food and beverage facilities, a Type 1 or Type 2 audit examines energy-use patterns, tariffs, metering and energy use per unit of production. It produces an opportunity register documenting each measure's boundary, estimated energy effect, assumptions, dependencies and next decision. This structured assessment helps prioritise investments and ensures grant funds target the most impactful opportunities. Our audits include financial evaluation and can be tailored to the specific questions facility and finance teams need answered.

How should food and beverage manufacturers prepare evidence before applying for the EEC grant?

Gather at least one year of electricity and fuel history, interval meter data where available, production quantities and types, operating schedules, equipment details and lists, existing studies or quotes, and records of any prior funding or certificate arrangements. Flag major shutdowns, changes in output or planned expansions. This evidence helps define the project boundary, establish a reliable baseline for savings measurement, and assess scheme eligibility. Our project brief template guides this preparation and clarifies what information will support an initial conversation about energy improvement opportunities and grant-eligible activities.

What role can Northmore Gordon play in a food and beverage business's EEC grant application?

We can conduct energy audits and metering assessments to identify eligible improvement opportunities, develop feasibility studies and investment cases to support grant applications, help assess which opportunities are energy-audit eligible versus requiring feasibility or detailed design work, and provide measurement and verification services for installed improvements. Our knowledge of food and beverage sector energy requirements—refrigeration, boilers, ovens, compressed air and shutdown practices—helps prioritise improvements that protect product quality and operational reliability while reducing power bills. Expressions of interest for metering and monitoring assessments can initiate the process.

What should businesses understand about the difference between identified savings and verified outcomes in EEC grant planning?

An energy audit identifies and forecasts savings based on analysis of current operations and proposed improvements. These are estimates, not measured results. Verified savings emerge only after implementation and measurement under agreed conditions. When planning EEC grant projects, distinguish clearly between the opportunity register (which documents forecast savings) and post-implementation measurement and verification results. This distinction matters for investment decisions and for any subsequent claims under energy-efficiency certificate schemes. We recommend treating identified opportunities as the starting point for feasibility and implementation planning, not as confirmed delivered results.

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