Smarter Resources Smarter BusinessEnergy and Materials program

Capital Funding

Guidelines and Application Form

Applications close 4pm, Friday 2 May 2014.

1. Capital Funding overviewThe Capital Funding initiative provides financial assistance for businesses to implement materials or energy efficiency projects.

Grants of up to $50,000 are available to help businesses with the costs of implementing materials efficiency projects and grants of up to $25,000 are available for businesses to implement energy efficiency projects.

Funding is available to assist businesses with the purchase and installation of materials or energy efficient equipment, processes or systems.

The Capital Funding initiative involves a competitive, merit‑based application process. Approved projects must be able to be completed within 12 months of the funding agreement being signed (including a six month evaluation period).

Applications for Round Three Capital Funding close at 4pm, Friday 2 May 2014. Please note this will be the final round of Capital Funding for the program.

For details of other funding opportunities and support available through the Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy and Materials program visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

2. Eligibility

2.1 The applicant

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy and Materials program:

› Have a current Australian Business Number (ABN)

› Employ fewer than 200 people. For small businesses (defined as having fewer than 20 employees), additional eligibility criteria applies*

› Have not had any Environment Protection Authority (EPA) or WorkSafe violations in the past five years, or any such breaches are deemed not relevant by Sustainability Victoria (Refer to Section 7 of the application form for more information).

› Agree to comply with Sustainability Victoria’s Terms and Conditions.

The following organisations are not eligible for program funding:

› Commonwealth, State or local government entities

› Schools.

* Additional criteria for small businesses

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees that have high energy or materials use are eligible to apply for capital funding provided they can demonstrate:

› an annual energy spend of at least $50,000 (excluding transport fuel costs) for energy efficiency projects, or

› the potential to significantly improve materials efficiency.

There is a great variety of projects that can improve resource efficiency. Examples of activities that can potentially be funded include:

Materials efficiency:

› Process efficiencies and improvements including:

– Best practices that improve product quality and reduce off‑specification product and waste

– Overcoming the causes of material losses

– Precision cutting and software tools that allow better utilisation of materials

– Process changes that reduce or eliminate the quantity of materials used in processing

› Internal reuse of product material, processing material, or packaging material

› Product or services redesign.

Energy efficiency:

› Energy efficiency improvements to compressed air systems

› Improved operational control, upgrades or replacement of refrigeration equipment or boilers

› More efficient use of process heat and steam, such as reuse of ‘waste heat’, improved insulation to reduce process heat loss, and improvements to steam return systems.

› More efficient use of energy for process cooling, such as insulation of chilled tanks

› Best practice lighting efficiency upgrades (only in non‑retail applications)

› Upgrades or reprogramming of control systems to allow improved scheduling of operational equipment

› Rationalisation of equipment and systems to improve energy efficiency

› Optimisation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.*

* The Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy Efficient Office Buildings program helps owners of commercial office buildings to undertake energy efficiency opportunities analysis, building tuning and metering and monitoring. For more information and eligibility criteria visit www. sustainability. vic.gov. au/eeob or email buildings@ sustainability.vic.gov.au

2.2 The projectAn eligible project will:

› Be a resource efficiency project that is primarily focused on purchasing equipment and/or implementing improved processes or systems that deliver energy or materials efficiency.

› Be able to be completed within 12 months of signing the funding agreement (including an evaluation period for measuring and reporting on project results that is typically six months).

› Be able to clearly articulate the energy or materials efficiency benefits of the project, including comparison to a baseline of current resource use.

› Be able to demonstrate a payback of one year or longer, and preferably within five years. This is a simple payback, calculated prior to taking into consideration any potential contribution from Sustainability Victoria.

› Be submitted with a project budget and seek funding that is consistent with the level of funding available, as described in Section 3.

› Propose the required co‑contribution towards the cost of the project. If this includes any ‘in‑kind’ contribution, the project budget and co‑contribution needs to be consistent with the requirements described in Section 3.

› Be implemented in Victoria.

› Not be undertaken in order to comply with regulation, including but not limited to, the phase out of refrigerant gases.

2.3 What types of activities can be funded? Funding will be provided to assist with the purchase and installation of materials or energy efficient equipment, processes or systems.

What do we mean by ‘resources’ and ‘resource efficiency’?

The program defines resources as energy (electricity, gas and fuels) and materials. Materials refer to everything a business purchases in order to produce its products or deliver its services. Materials may include raw materials, stock, stationery, chemicals, etc, but for the purposes of the program excludes water and materials used for energy.

Resource efficiency is about maximising the value derived from resources used to produce products or provide services. For a business, this means deriving the most value from material and energy inputs by efficiently converting them into finished products or services, while minimising environmental impacts.

What do we mean by ‘materials efficiency’ and ‘energy efficiency’?

Materials efficiency refers to the more efficient use of materials or the delivery of more finished product or service per unit of raw materials.

Energy efficiency refers to the more efficient use of energy or the delivery of a more finished product or service per unit of energy input.

2.4 What types of activities won’t be funded?

Funding will not be provided for projects that:

› Are focused primarily on reducing liquid, hazardous and/or regulated emissions or waste

› Are focused primarily on increasing rates of off‑site recycling

› Deliver water savings only

› Change an existing energy source to a new energy source without increasing energy efficiency (e.g. installation of renewable energy technologies such as solar panels or fuel switching projects such as wood waste instead of natural gas)

› Involve improvements to lighting efficiency in retail businesses

› Are focused on fleet or vehicle upgrades or any other transport fuel efficiency improvements

› Have already commenced or are completed at the time of signing the funding agreement

› Are supported by other government programs (Note that this does not exclude projects that may generate savings for businesses under the Victorian Government’s Energy Saver Incentive program that delivers on the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme). See Section 3.4.

› Are being undertaken in order to comply with regulation, including, but not limited to, the phase out of refrigerant gases

› Have a payback period of one year or less, prior to the consideration of the requested funding. (Refer to Section 5 for more guidance on how the payback period is calculated)

› Have a project budget that is inconsistent with the requirements described in Section 3, such as seeking funding which exceeds 50% of the total project cost.

The Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy and Materials program aims to achieve an overall diversity of projects in each funding round. This means that Sustainability Victoria will take into account the diversity of geographic locations, business sectors and technology types when making the final determination of grant recipients.

Please note to achieve a diversity of project types and business sectors, where multiple projects are submitted from a single franchise chain or group buying chain, Sustainability Victoria reserves the right to fund only one application per franchise chain or group buying chain in each funding round.

Examples of materials efficiency projects:

For many businesses, material costs are far greater than energy costs and the potential efficiency savings are much greater, however many businesses are often unaware of these hidden costs and the potential savings. Here are some more examples of funding that can be provided for materials efficiency projects.

Process efficiencies and improvements:

› A sheet metal fabricator received funding to install new equipment that could handle larger sheets of metal, allowing different layout of the pieces to be cut, and resulting in more efficient utilisation of the purchased material.

› A clothing manufacturer undertook a Resource Assessment to map and quantify the material flows and recommend opportunities for materials efficiency. Implementation will involve improvements to equipment, processes and systems that will result in improved product quality and reduced waste.

› A fruit grower had funding approved to install a protective cover for the orchard to prevent crop damage and loss associated with rain. This will allow the business to produce more product, and better quality product, for the same material inputs (e.g. fertilizers etc.)

Internal reuse:

› Many businesses can reuse materials that are currently being sent off‑site as waste. This reduces the quantity of materials purchased and the costs and environmental impacts of waste disposal. For example, funding has been awarded to a paving manufacturer to improve capture and reuse of concrete dust back into the manufacturing process, and for a printing company to recover and reuse solvents used in a printing process.

Product or services redesign:

› Services, such as entertainment, accommodation or food services, can potentially deliver the same service experience with reduced use of materials. For example, the program could provide funding to improve systems for materials inventory control to reduce waste or to replace single use materials with reusable materials.

For details of other projects funded by the Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy and Materials Capital Funding visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

3. Funding

3.1 Level of funding

The Capital Funding initiative provides businesses with grants of:

› Up to $50,000 (excluding GST) towards capital expenditure for materials efficiency projects

› Up to $25,000 (excluding GST) towards capital expenditure for energy efficiency projects.

Funding is allocated on a competitive basis.

All grants require a minimum co‑contribution from the applicant of 50% of total eligible project expenditure. This co‑contribution must include a cash contribution from the applicant, and may include an in‑kind contribution. The component of the co‑contribution that is cash cannot be less than 50% of the Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding sought.

3.2 In-kind contributions

What activities can be included as in-kind contributions?

Examples of in‑kind contributions include but are not limited to:

› Staff time to manage the project implementation

› Installation costs that use existing internal skills

› Staff time to monitor and evaluate the performance of improved equipment, systems or processes.

If including in‑kind contributions, a detailed description of the activity needs to be provided, as well as any assumptions used in calculating the monetary value of the contribution.

What is excluded from in-kind contributions?

The following activities cannot be considered as in‑kind contributions:

› Operational expenses which are not directly associated with the delivery of the project

› Opportunity costs such as staff ‘downtime’ during the installation of the equipment.

Calculating in-kind contributions

All in‑kind cost items identified in the total project cost must be allocated as a contribution by the applicant. Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding cannot be sought to pay the applicant for any in‑kind contribution.

For some projects that include an in‑kind contribution the applicant may be required to contribute more than 50% of the total project cost. This is to be consistent with the requirement that funding sought must be matched with a co‑contribution by the applicant. Refer to Section 5 for further information on how to calculate in‑kind contributions in your project cost.

At a minimum, the applicant’s contribution must equal the value of the funding requested. Applicants can include in‑kind contributions towards their contribution with the following conditions:

› The combined value of cash and in‑kind contributions should at least equal the value of the requested Capital Funding, and

› The value of cash contributions should not be less than 50% of the value of the requested Capital Funding and 25% of the total project cost.

3.3 Eligible project expenditure

Eligible project expenditure includes:

› Equipment, processes or systems being installed

› Consultants or technical expertise required for implementation

› Labour for the purposes of installing and commissioning equipment, processes or systems.

› Monitoring the impacts of the project.

Funding is not provided for projects that are primarily focused on business expansion or changes to the types of products or services delivered by the business.

The costs of feasibility studies, business case development and project identification of resource efficiency opportunities are not eligible for Capital Funding. If you are seeking funding for these activities please refer to the Resource Assessment initiative, details of which can be found at www. sustainability. vic. gov.au/srsb

3.4 Energy Saver Incentive/Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs)

Projects that may generate savings for businesses under the Victorian Government’s Energy Saver Incentive program that delivers on the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) may also be eligible to apply for Capital Funding.

What is the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target scheme?

The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme, also known as the Victorian Energy Saver Incentive, is designed to make energy efficiency improvements more affordable, contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases, and encourage investment, employment and innovation in industries that supply energy efficiency goods and services. Under this Victorian Government initiative, certain businesses, known as Accredited Persons, are allowed to create certificates when they help you make selected energy efficiency improvements to your home or business premises. Each certificate – known as a Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate, or VEEC, represents one tonne of greenhouse gas abated. The money that the accredited business makes from selling its certificates can go towards a discount on the product or appliance installed. A range of energy efficient equipment may be eligible under the scheme, such as lighting, refrigeration cabinets, refrigeration fans, and motors.

For more information on the VEET scheme:

› Read the Understanding Energy Saver Incentive fact sheets available at www. sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

› Ask your intended supplier or energy consultant if they are aware of potential eligibility to claim VEECs

› Visit www.switchon.vic.gov.au

› Visit www.veet.vic.gov.au

Eligibility for Capital Funding may be affected if the payback is reduced to less than one year after the estimated value of the Energy Saver Incentive is included.

If Capital Funding is awarded to a project that is also eligible to claim VEECs, Sustainability Victoria would generally require the claim for VEECs to be made. This is to ensure that other sources of funding are leveraged when it is cost‑effective to do so. The amount of funding that the business receives from Sustainability Victoria would be adjusted to be consistent with the actual (not estimated) value of any VEECs claimed.

Special note for lighting projects

The VEET scheme is especially relevant to lighting projects, and consequently all applications for lighting projects should include detailed information about the potential eligibility of the project to claim VEECs and the estimated value of these.

The Energy Saver Incentive (value of any VEECs) should be included in the project budget but is not considered to be a contribution from the applicant. The applicant co‑contribution must not be less than 50% of the total project budget. For projects that are eligible for the VEET scheme, the maximum Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding that can be sought is less than 50% of the total project cost.

For some projects, e.g. commercial lighting involving emerging technologies, Sustainability Victoria may require that the project is undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of the VEET scheme, even if the value of VEECs that could be claimed is small and consequently Sustainability Victoria has not required that a claim for VEECs be made. This is to ensure that the potential electrical safety risks are managed in a best practice manner.

Tip: For further information and examples of how to incorporate VEECs in your funding application refer to Section 5 – Notes on completing the application form.

4. Assessment criteria

4.1 How will my application be assessed?

The Capital Funding initiative involves a competitive, merit based application process.

Applications from eligible applicants for eligible projects will be assessed based on three aspects:

1. Project description (55%)

› The technical viability of the project

› Whether the project can be considered an example of best practice. (Note: it is not expected that the project is highly innovative or experimental)

› The direct materials or energy efficiency benefits of the project

› The indirect benefits of the project

› Whether the applicant has demonstrated an understanding of current resource use

› Quantification of current resource use, benefits, and any additional ongoing costs; including explanation and supporting information provided to justify any assumptions made.

2. Project plan (20%)

› The feasibility of the project to be delivered within the specified timeframe, including access to the necessary skills or expertise

› Whether the project can be implemented within 12 months of signing the funding agreement (including an evaluation period for measuring and reporting on project results that is typically six months)

› That the approach to monitoring and reporting the impacts of the project is appropriate for the proposed solution.

Note: Projects will not be funded if they have already commenced or are completed at the time of signing the funding agreement.

3. Project budget (25%)

› The project cost relative to the overall project benefits (payback) (Note: the payback must be greater than one year. Projects with a payback of between one to five years will be viewed more favorably than projects with more than a five year payback)

› The leveraging of Victorian Government funds (ratio of Victorian Government funds to funds invested by the applicant)

› How realistic the project budget is.

The Smarter Resources Smarter Business – Energy and Materials program aims to achieve an overall diversity of projects supported in Capital Funding. This means that Sustainability Victoria will take into account the diversity of geographic locations, business sectors and technology types when making the final determination of grant recipients.

I have more than one project. Can I make multiple applications or combine these into one application?

A business is able to submit a maximum of two applications in the same funding round: one project for energy efficiency and one project for materials efficiency. However applicants should note that it is extremely unlikely that a business would be awarded more than one Capital Funding grant.

In the circumstance that a business is considering a number of different projects of the same type, e.g. two or more energy efficiency projects, then the applicant should consider combining these ‘internal’ projects as activities within the one energy efficiency project submitted for Capital Funding. Please note that Sustainability Victoria may assess the merit of each activity individually, and if the applicant is offered a grant it may be for some or all of the activities.

5. Notes on completing the application formThe following table provides additional guidance for completing the application form, including definition of terms used.

Section Notes for completing this section

Section 2.3

Number of employees

To be eligible for funding, businesses must have fewer than 200 employees. For businesses that are close to the upper limit of 199 employees, it is the number of full time equivalents (FTEs) that are considered. For example, for each part‑time employee add the hours together to calculate and equate to the number of full time employees.

For smaller businesses with close to 20 employees you can count the total number of individuals currently employed.

Section 3

Project overview

What funding are you applying for?

Select whether you are applying for materials efficiency or energy efficiency project funding.

Some materials efficiency projects have associated energy benefits, and vice versa. If you are unsure whether your project should be classified as a materials or energy project, be guided by whether the most value (in terms of financial impact) is in materials or energy savings. In the circumstance that Sustainability Victoria disagrees with your classification, the decision on the project classification will be made by Sustainability Victoria.

Section 3.5

The current situation

Sustainability Victoria will use this information to understand the current magnitude of resource usage (the “baseline”). Ensure that the table is completed with the correct units, such as electricity use shown as the quantity of kWh/year and the unit value of c/kWh.

Attach any additional information that you may have that demonstrates the prior work your business has undertaken to understand resource use. For example an energy assessment or materials assessment, or internal analysis of process performance that is relevant to a process improvement project.

In the assessment process Sustainability Victoria may also use this information to better understand the absolute and relative improvements of resource usage.

Is my project more likely to be successful, or is it assessed more favourably, if I have already completed a Resource Assessment under the Smarter Resources, Smarter Business – Energy and Materials program?

No. The evaluation process assesses each application on its own merits and does not distinguish between applicants that have previously been involved with Sustainability Victoria’s programs. Having previously completed a Resource Assessment is not a prerequisite for applying for Capital Funding.

However, having taken steps to understand resource use in your business and identify opportunities for resource efficiency will help you to prepare an application for Capital Funding. In particular, Section 3.5 asks the applicant to list and quantify current resource usage of materials and/or energy that are relevant to the proposed project. In particular, the project benefits need to be articulated in the application, and these benefits will need to be monitored and reported as part of the proposed project. The benefits to be realised need to be compared to a baseline.

Section Notes for completing this section

Sections 3.6, 3.7

Project benefits and ongoing costs

Resource efficiency projects can generate many indirect benefits, in addition to the direct energy or materials savings achieved. Complete the table with as much information as you know about the benefits that the proposed project is expected to realise (add additional rows if needed). For example, indirect benefits may include but not be limited to transport costs, reduced warehousing costs, increased employee productivity or increased revenue through quality improvements. Many lighting projects may benefit from reduced maintenance costs, and these should be described and quantified.

Additional ongoing costs are additional costs and/or resource usage compared to operating with the current situation. For example, the proposed solution may deliver material efficiencies but result in increased energy use. Or the proposed solution may require additional operating costs, such as increased maintenance, compared to the current situation.

Quantify and express the benefits and additional ongoing costs in financial terms where possible. Indirect benefits, such as increased employee satisfaction, can be included in the benefits table even if the applicant is not able to calculate the financial benefits of these.

Financial benefits should be based on current unit costs, not a projected future price. The only exception is when the future price is already known and contracted, such as a price increase already notified by a supplier.

Ensure that you state any relevant assumptions. State the assumptions briefly and make reference to any supporting information that you attach.

Applicants must state the basis of calculation (“unit of productivity”) used and the reason for choosing this basis. The basis chosen should be appropriate to the business and the project. For example, a manufacturer would base the calculation on the number of production units per annum and specify an actual number (e.g. 30,000kg of ‘Product B’ or 10,000 ‘widgets’). An appropriate basis is not necessarily the actual number of production units produced in the past 12 months, especially if there is significant annual variation.

A consistent basis of calculation must be used for expressing both the benefits and the additional ongoing costs. Explain if the basis chosen is different from what has been used to described the current situation.

Section 3.9

Project lifetime

Sustainability Victoria will assume that the project will continue to deliver the overall benefits, at the per annum rate specified, for a minimum of 10 years from the date of implementation. The project may be limited by the lifetime of major items of equipment or the applicant may intend to discontinue or make significant other changes to its operations.

In your response, also include information about whether the project involves the installation of equipment with replaceable parts (e.g. light globes installed with light fittings) or ongoing maintenance that is additional to the current situation.

Section 4.2

Monitoring and reporting

It is a requirement of funding that you monitor and report on the benefits and impacts arising from the implementation of the project. Monitoring can use the following methods: bill tracking, data logging, meter reading and inventory control.

For typical projects, it is expected that the monitoring and reporting phase will continue for at least six months, and the project from start to finish (including monitoring and reporting) will be completed within 12 months. Depending on the nature of the project and the business operations, Sustainability Victoria may, for some projects, require more than or less than six months monitoring to ensure that the results of the project are well understood and quantified. The applicant should propose an approach that is appropriate to the proposed project.

Note: the costs associated with monitoring can be included in the budget.

Successful recipients will be provided with a reporting template to complete at the close of the project. The template covers the materials and/or energy efficiency benefits of the project and other benefits and impacts.

Section Notes for completing this section

Section 5.1

Project costsAll information provided in this section should be exclusive of GST.

Section 5.2

In‑kind contributions

This should be read in conjunction with Section 3.2 of these guidelines. The funding table below provides an example of in‑kind contributions that are considered acceptable for the total amount of funding sought. Note: the example uses a materials efficiency project, for which Sustainability Victoria can provide a maximum of $50,000 (excluding GST) in funding towards capital expenditure.

Contributing organisation Budget component Total (GST exc)

YouCash contribution $ 22,000

In‑kind contribution $ 48,000

Subtotal of total contribution $ 70,000

Energy Saver Incentive / Victorian Energy Efficiency

Certificates (VEECs)$

Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding sought $ 44,000

Total project cost $ 114,000

Section 5.3

Energy Saver Incentive/Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs)

The funding table below provides an example of how to include VEECs in your project budget. Note: the example uses an energy efficiency project for which Sustainability Victoria is able to provide a maximum of $25,000 (excluding GST) in funding towards capital expenditure.

Contributing organisation Budget component Total (GST exc)

YouCash contribution $ 18,000

In‑kind contribution $ 2,000

Subtotal of total contribution $ 20,000

Energy Saver Incentive / Victorian Energy Efficiency

Certificates (VEECs)$ 1,000

Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding sought $ 19,000

Total project cost $ 40,000

The applicants total contribution (in‑kind and cash) should be equal or greater than the requested funding amount.

The cash contribution from the business cannot be less than 50% of the Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding sought.

The applicant needs to contribute a minimum of 50% to the project cost.

The estimated value of the Energy Saver Incentive / Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) should be included in the total project cost.

Section Notes for completing this section

The project cost relative to the overall project benefits (payback)

An eligible project will be able to demonstrate a payback of one year or longer, and preferably within five years.

Whilst Sustainability Victoria will assess the project payback, applicants are not required to calculate this in their submission. A simple project payback is defined as the number of years it takes for annual overall benefits from the project to equal the total project cost, and is calculated as [total project cost]/[annual overall benefits].

The annual overall benefits are the total of the benefits (Section 3.6) less any additional ongoing costs (Section 3.7). The total project cost is given by the applicant (Section 5.1). The calculation is based on the project cost only and does not take into consideration any grant funding.

Sustainability Victoria may take into consideration possible errors, omissions, and the evidence basis that supports the claimed benefits and proposed costs of the project. For example, in assessing the project payback, Sustainability Victoria may recalculate the overall benefits if they appear to be overstated or the total project cost if it appears to be understated.

Attachments

All applicants

Applicants should include the following documents where relevant:

› Supplier/contractor quote(s) for any proposed equipment, processes or systems and other works to be supplied/contracted such as equipment installation

› Any additional supporting information (e.g. support for assumptions, a relevant energy and materials assessment or business case for the proposed investment.) It is expected that the application form will contain all the information necesary to assess the project. Sustainability Victoria is under no obligation to consider the attached information when making its assessment.

Small business applicants

Applicants with fewer than 20 employees applying for energy efficiency projects must also provide evidence that their energy spend is $50,000 or more per annum (excluding transport fuel costs) – e.g. by providing a copy of a recent energy assessment or electricity bill(s).

6. Application process

6.1 How do I apply?

Applicants should complete the following steps:

Step 1 – Check if your company is eligible to apply (see Section 2.1 above)

Step 2 – Check the eligibility of your project (see Section 2.2 above)

Step 3 – Read the sample Terms and Conditions of the funding agreement to ensure that you can meet them. Sample Terms and Conditions are available from www. sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

Step 4 – Prepare your application

› Visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb and download the current PDF version of the Capital Funding application form

› The application form is an interactive PDF document, which allows you to enter text in the relevant fields.

› Remember to:

– Save the application form to your computer before you start entering any information.

– Check that you are able to add and save your information into the PDF document.

– Save the document frequently to avoid losing any information.

› If you encounter any problems with using the interactive PDF, please check the FAQs section of our website for trouble shooting tips.

› If you cannot resolve the issue, contact Sustainability Victoria and request permission to submit your application in an alternative format (e.g. in a word document or handwritten format).

Step 5 – Complete the application form.

› All sections of the application form must be completed in full and all requested attachments provided.

› The application form must be submitted in the same PDF format, unless you have requested permission to submit your application in an alternative format.

› The Declaration page in the application form must be printed and signed by a person with delegated authority to apply (e.g. Chief Executive Officer or Director).

› Submit a scanned, signed copy of the Declaration page as a separate attachment with your application.

Step 6 – Submit your application to Sustainability Victoria:

› Email your application to grants.applications@sustainability.vic.gov.au

› The email subject line should read “Energy and Materials – Capital Funding”

› Submit your application as a PDF document. Remember to, include a scanned, signed copy of the Declaration page at Section 8 as a separate attachment.

› Emails must not be greater than 10MB in size

› Sustainability Victoria will return a formal email message confirming electronic receipt of applications.

› If you experience difficulties with emailing your application please contact Sustainability Victoria to make alternative arrangements. Phone 1300 363 744 and ask to speak to a Grants Support representative.

Step 7 – Required attachments:

All applicants

› Supplier/contractor quote(s) for any proposed equipment and installation

› Any additional supporting information – e.g. a relevant energy or materials assessment or a business case for the proposed investment.

Small business applicants

Applicants with fewer than 20 employees applying for energy efficiency projects must provide evidence that their energy spend is $50,000 or more per annum (excluding transport fuel costs). e.g. by providing a copy of a recent energy assessment or electricity bill(s).

6.2 Key application activities and dates

Applications open February 2014

Information sessions

Commencing February 2014

Visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb for the list of dates and locations of information sessions.

Applications close

4pm, Friday 2 May 2014

Assessment of applications

May ‑ June 2014

Announcement of successful projects

July/August 2014

Final date for commencement of successful projects

November2014

More informationIf you have any queries regarding this program contact Sustainability Victoria:

Email: grants.enquiries@sustainability.vic.gov.au and quote “Energy and Materials ‑ Capital Funding Enquiry” in the subject line

Phone: 1300 363 744

www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

Information in this document is current as at January 2014.

While all professional care has been taken in preparing this document, Sustainability Victoria accepts no liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon its content. Sustainability Victoria reserves the right to modify or withdraw the program without notice. Please check our website for current information.

Section 1 – Contact information

1.1 Applicant

Name of legal entity:

Trading name: (if different to legal entity name)

Address:

Postal address: (if different to address)

1.2 Contact person*

* This is the person that Sustainability Victoria will contact to advise of the outcome of the application. Sustainability Victoria may also contact this person to clarify information in the application. The contact person should be an employee or owner of the applicant business. Do not list a consultant or supplier as the contact person.

First name:

Last name:

Position:

Email:

Telephone:

Mobile:

Capital Funding

Application Form

Section 2 – Applicant details

2.1 Australian Business Number (ABN):

2.2 Nature of applicant entity:

Company Incorporated association

Partnership Sole trader

Other (please specify)

2.3 Number of employees: 1‑19* 20‑199

* Notes for small business applicants:

Applicants that are classified as a small business (i.e. have fewer than 20 employees) are eligible to apply for funding provided they can demonstrate an annual energy spend of $50,000 or more (excluding transport fuel costs) for energy efficiency projects. Evidence is to be provided at Section 6.

2.4 Briefly describe the core activities of your business, including key products or services (25 words or less):

2.5 How did you hear about the program?

Tick all that may apply:

Industry newsletter or email

Newspaper advertisement or article

Sustainability Victoria website

Email from Sustainability Victoria

From a consultant

Word of mouth

Other (please specify)

Section 3 – Project overview (55% of total score)

What funding are you applying for?

Energy efficiency Materials efficiency

3.1 Project name

We may use this name on all correspondence.

Please use 10 words or less.

Project description

3.2 What are you planning to do?

Describe the project in 500 words or less. Include the proposed solution, the location of the project, how it will be implemented and the main benefits to your business. In describing the project compare your proposed solution with the current situation.

Note: Should your project be successful in this funding application, we may use this information in reports and other publications.

3.3 How does the project demonstrate best practice? (250 words or less)

3.4 Project location (site address)*

* To be eligible for funding, the project must be located in Victoria

Is the project being undertaken in order to comply with regulation?* Yes No

* Funding will not be provided for projects that are being undertaken in order to comply with regulation, including, but not limited to, the phase out of refrigerant gases.

3.5 The current situation

In the following table please list and quantify the current resource usage of materials and/or energy that are relevant to the proposed project. Include any relevant comments, for example whether the resource is measured or estimated, and whether the information given is for the whole site or part of the site.

Sustainability Victoria will use this information to understand the current magnitude of resource usage.

Resource and area of use*Quantity and unit per annum

Unit value ($/unit) (e.g. XX c/kWh)

Financial cost per annum ($) Comments^

* At minimum, you should include the resource usage that is directly relevant to the project. For example, a lighting project should provide (1) total electricity use for the business, (2) electricity use for all lighting, and (3) electricity use for lighting in the area that is proposed to be upgraded by the project. Additional information, such as electricity use in other parts of the business and other energy use such as gas, is encouraged to be provided to demonstrate an understanding of current resource usage.

^ Examples of relevant comments to include may be “Based on energy assessment undertaken July 2013, report attached” or “Estimated based on total wattage of XX W and run hours of XX hours.”

3.6 Project benefits

Tip: Refer to Section 5 of the guidelines for assistance in completing the following sections. You must use the same basis of calculation for completing both the project benefits table and the additional ongoing costs table.

In the following table please describe and quantify the direct energy and/or materials efficiency benefits, as well as any other indirect benefits you expect the project will deliver.

Description of benefit

Quantity and unit per annum (e.g. XX kg of XX/year)

Unit value ($/unit) (e.g. $xx/kg)

Financial benefits per annum ($) Assumptions

Total of benefits

3.7 Project additional ongoing costs

In the following table please describe and quantify any additional ongoing costs associated with the project compared to the current situation. Leave this table blank if there are none.

Description of additional ongoing costs

Quantity and unit per annum

Unit value ($/unit)

Additional financial cost per annum ($) Assumptions

Total of additional ongoing costs

3.8 Basis of calculation / Unit of “Productivity”

State the basis of calculation used in completing Tables 3.6 and 3.7 above and the reason for choosing this basis. Also explain if this is different from the basis that underlies the response to Section 3.5 “The current situation”. (200 words or less).

Note: A consistent basis of calculation must be used for expressing both the benefits and the additional ongoing costs. The basis chosen should be appropriate to the business and the project. For example, a manufacturer would base the calculation on the number of production units per annum and specify an actual number (e.g. 30,000kg of ‘Product B’ or 10,000 ‘widgets’).

3.9 Project lifetime

Sustainability Victoria will assume that the project will continue to deliver the overall benefits, at the per annum rate specified, for a minimum of 10 years from the date of implementation. Is this a reasonable assumption? Yes No

Please explain your answer. In your response, also include information about whether the project involves the installation of equipment with replaceable parts (e.g. light globes installed with light fittings) or ongoing maintenance that is additional to the current situation (200 words or less).

3.10 Other supporting information

You are invited to provide any other information in support of the expected benefits of the proposed solution. For example, you may like to expand on the assumptions behind the stated benefits. You can attach any supporting documentation.

There is no limit to the amount of supporting information that can be provided. However, Sustainability Victoria is under no obligation to consider this information when making its assessment.

Section 4 – Project plan (20% of total score)

4.1 How will you implement the project?

Describe in 300 words or less how the project will be implemented, including key milestones, allocated personnel, access to relevant external expertise, use of internal expertise or the need to engage consultants.

4.2 Monitoring and reporting

Describe in 150 words or less your approach for monitoring and reporting on the results of the project. The focus should be the direct materials or energy efficiency benefits, and any other indirect benefits that the project may deliver.

4.3 Key dates

Please include your anticipated timelines for your proposed project. Please be aware that funding will not be provided for activities that have already commenced or are completed at the time of signing the funding agreement.

Project timelines Month and year

Project start

Project implemented

Completion of monitoring and reporting on the project results

Section 5 – Budget and funding details (25% of total score)

To complete this section correctly, please refer to the guidelines, and be aware that an eligible project will:

› Be submitted with a project budget and seek funding that is consistent with the level of funding available, as described in Section 3 of the guidelines.

› Propose the required co‑contribution towards the cost of the project. If this includes any ‘in‑kind’ contribution, the project budget and co‑contribution needs to be consistent with the requirements described in Section 3 of the guidelines.

5.1 Project costs

All information provided should be exclusive of GST.

Please provide a breakdown of the total cost of the proposed project in the table below. Supplier/contractor quotes for equipment and installation must be attached to the application.

Do not include any ongoing operational costs, such as maintenance. These should be itemised in Section 3.7.

Item number Item descriptionTotal cost (GST exc) $

Total cost (GST exc)

5.2 In-kind contributions

If including in‑kind contributions in Section 5.1 please provide a description of what this will consist of, the monetary value and the assumptions made in calculating the value of the contribution.

5.3 How much funding is being sought from Sustainability Victoria?

Complete the table below. All information provided should be exclusive of GST.

Contributing organisation Budget component Total (GST exc)

Proportion of total

project cost (%)

YouCash contribution $

In‑kind contribution* $

Other organisation (please specify,

if applicable)

Cash contribution $

In‑kind contribution* $

Subtotal of total contribution $

Energy Saver Incentive / Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs)

Sustainability Victoria Capital Funding sought $

Total project cost $

* If including in‑kind contributions a description of each of the in‑kind contributions must be provided in Section 5.2 above. Also ensure that you have read and understood Section 3 of the guidelines about how in‑kind contributions may affect the amount of Capital Funding that can be sought.

Section 6 – Attachments

Applicants should include the following documents, where relevant:

› Supplier/contractor quote(s) for any proposed equipment and installation

› Any additional supporting information – e.g. support for assumptions, a relevant energy and materials assessment, or business case for the proposed investment. It is expected that the application form will contain all the information necessary to assess the project and Sustainability Victoria is under no obligation to consider this information when making its assessment.

Applicants with fewer than 20 employees applying for energy efficiency projects must provide evidence that the energy spend (excluding transport fuel costs) is $50,000 or more per annum – e.g. by providing a copy of a recent energy assessment or electricity bill(s).

Section 7 – Disclosures

Please outline any perceived conflicts of interest related to the project, including existing relationships with proposed suppliers

or contractors.

No current or potential conflict of interest exists

We disclose the following conflict/s of interest and indicate below how we propose to manage it/them.

Has the applicant had any Environment Protection Authority (EPA) violations in the past five years? Yes No

(Violations include any previous penalty, notice, prosecution or regulatory intervention or any current investigations, notices prosecutions, regulatory intervention or enforcement action from the Environment Protection Authority arising out of an actual or possible breach of any environmental legislation or regulations)

Has the applicant had any WorkSafe violations in the past five years? Yes No

(Violations include any previous penalty, notice, prosecution or regulatory intervention or any current investigations, notices, prosecutions, regulatory intervention or enforcement action from WorkSafe Victoria arising out of an actual or possible breach of any OH&S, safety or other legislation or regulations)

If yes to either question, please explain.

Has any other government funding been applied for or received for this project? If yes, please provide details.

Are you intending to apply for other government funding? If yes, please provide details.

Section 8 – Declaration

I state that the information in this application and attachments is to the best of my knowledge true and correct. I will notify Sustainability Victoria of any changes to this information and any circumstances that may affect this application. I acknowledge that Sustainability Victoria may refer this application to external experts or other Government Departments for assessment, reporting, advice, comment or for discussions regarding alternative or collaborative grant funding opportunities. I understand that Sustainability Victoria is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and that if a Freedom of Information request is made, Sustainability Victoria will consult with the applicant before any decision is made to release the application or supporting documentation. I understand that this is an application only and may not necessarily result in funding approval.

I declare that my organisation currently holds:

Public Liability Insurance of $10,000,000* and

Professional Indemnity Insurance of $5,000,000*.

* Note: If you do not hold the above insurance at the time of submitting your application, you can undertake to obtain this insurance, if required by Sustainability Victoria. If your application is successful, Sustainability Victoria would either require that the insurance is in place before you sign the funding agreement, or in certain circumstances we may deem that Professional Indemnity Insurance is not required. Sustainability Victoria recognises that many applicants, such as manufacturers and retailers, operate with low levels of exposure to Professional Indemnity risk. Any decision by Sustainability Victoria to not require Professional Indemnity Insurance is made on a case‑by‑case basis, and on the basis of supporting documents provided by the applicant and/or its insurance broker.

I acknowledge that Sustainability Victoria may undertake checks with EPA, WorkSafe Victoria or other regulators about my organisation’s environmental, OH&S, safety or other regulatory performance, and may undertake checks on my organisation’s financial ability to contribute to this project

By checking the following boxes and submitting this application, I confirm that:

I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions of Sustainability Victoria’s Funding Agreement located at www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/srsb

I have read the Capital Funding Guidelines

The proposed project can be completed within 12 months of the contract date, including six months monitoring the results of the project.

Signature:

Date:

Print name:

Position:

(To be signed by a person with delegated authority to apply ‑ i.e. Chief Executive Officer or Director).

Privacy Statement

Sustainability Victoria collects, uses and discloses your personal information for the purposes of this grants program and in accordance with our Privacy Statement. Sustainability Victoria’s Privacy Statement is available from www.sustainability.vic.gov.au.

If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, have any questions relating to the Privacy Statement or wish to seek access to the personal information which Sustainability Victoria holds about you, please contact us in writing addressed to: privacy@sustainability.vic.gov.au