The National Directorate of Energy has in force a plan that grants economic compensation, both for households and for companies in all sectors of activity that implement energy efficiency measures.
also available a financial helpline that provides support for carrying out energy diagnoses that identify efficiency opportunities in companies, residential buildings and other organizations.
Added to this is a third alternative that grants funds to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for optimizing the use of energy in their facilities. This note reviews in detail how each of these plans works and explains the requirements to access the benefits.
Energy efficiency certificates
The Energy Efficiency Certificates (CEE)allow to obtain an additional monetary income to the saving of consumption already obtained in the monthly electric bill for this concept.
to this benefit For example, users who have changed an old refrigerator in their homes for another labeled with the letter A –more efficient–, who have acquired a hot water tank with the same characteristics, an Inverter air conditioner (more efficient) or have incorporated LED lamps and luminaires in their homes. Other actions are also included, such as the purchase of a light electric vehicle or the use of solar thermal panels for heating water.
“The concept is: with your measure you were efficient and saved so much. We measure it and we buy the avoided energy from you”explained to The Observer the National Director of Energy, Fitzgerald Cantero.
$5,500 is the extra income that can be obtained for a 2 m2 solar thermal panel in a house and with total energy savings of 1.1 toe
In order to apply, it is necessary that the equipment have at least one year and a maximum of two and a half years of use. The procedure is carried out on the website of the Energy Directorate, and the purchase invoice and a photo of the installed equipment must be presented, among other requirements. In the case of electric vehicles, a photo of the property booklet and the odometer is also requested.
Once the evaluation and calculation of the energy avoided have been carried out, the money is deposited directly into the account indicated by the beneficiary. Cantero pointed out that this year there are $80 million earmarked for these certificates. Last year through this channel there were 82 beneficiaries who shared an amount close to $50 million.
The CEE has a value in energy units (toe *tonne of oil equivalent) which results from the sum of the estimated energy savings throughout the useful life of each measure based on technical parameters and the weighting of the energy avoided.
$12,500 is the profit that can be made for a microenterprise tricycle traveling 40 km a day, with total energy savings of 2.5 toe.
Funds for MSMEs
The program of Support for Efficient Mipymes allows you to recover up to 90% of the investment made to optimize the use of energy in your facilities. This varies depending on the size of the company and the type of measure implemented.
MSMEs from all sectors of activity, except the agricultural sector, that carry out their activities in a commercial or productive establishment and have been in business for at least two years can apply for this benefit.
Some of the measures that can be implemented to apply are the use of LED lighting, solar thermal panels, air conditioning equipment with Inverter technology, closed-hearth biomass stoves, thermal insulation in walls and ceilings, and heat pumps for space heating. water, among others.
The Funds available this year amount to $30 million and will cover more than 400 companies, explained Cantero. Reimbursements will be assigned in accordance with the order of arrival of the applications and depending on the distribution of the companies in the national territory, explains the Energy Directorate.
Reimbursements are up to 90% with a cap of $45,000 for micro-enterprises; in small companies, 75% with a cap of $90,000, and in medium-sized companies, 60% with a cap of $135,000.
Applications must be made through the national portal for online procedures and include a pre-approval stage. “The person can put together the plan, send us the proposal and the technicians evaluate it. It is a kind of pre-approval of what he is going to do so that he remains calm that he is going to have some reimbursement, ”said Cantero. In order to carry out the procedure, you must have a valid SME certificate.
Diagnostic support
Another enabled tool is the Helpline for Energy Efficiency that supports the realization of energy diagnoses to identify opportunities for improvement in electricity consumption. In this way, up to 75% of the cost of the investment necessary to hire the company that performs the preliminary technical work is reimbursed.
To apply, it is necessary to present the preliminary project carried out by an energy service company registered with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM).
For example, in the case of micro and small businesses, civil associations, residential buildings, housing complexes and cooperatives, up to $70,000 or 75% of the total cost of the diagnosis are reimbursed.
Then, for the implementation of the measures, it is also possible to make use of the current benefits and programs.
efficient appliances
An appliance is efficient when it does the same as another while consuming less energy. To find out which one is more efficient, you have to read the label attached to the equipment that classifies them into classes according to their consumption.
The teams labeled with the letter A are the most efficient, and those labeled with the letters F or G are the least efficient. Energy performance affects consumption during the useful life of the equipment and therefore future spending by households.
Purchasing an efficient appliance helps reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and dependence on imported fossil fuels.
