NISEP bidders face 15 December deadline as regulator opens 2027/2029 call for schemes

Scheme managers bidding for Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) funding from April 2027 must return a signed Accedence Agreement to the Utility Regulator by 12 November 2026 and submit their schemes by 15 December 2026.

The deadlines follow the regulator's publication on 8 October 2026 of the NISEP Framework Document and Call for Schemes for 2027/2029, the first round under a two-year extension it announced on 2 April 2026. The extension runs from 1 April 2027 until 31 March 2029.

Elmhurst Energy drew attention to the extension in a post on 6 November 2026, describing it as a recent decision and saying the programme could continue until March 2029. Elmhurst said NISEP currently provides around £8m of funding a year for homes and commercial properties.

The regulator has been more guarded. It said there is no certainty that the extended programme will run for the full two years, because the new framework includes a break clause that allows NISEP to close after the first year.

The break clause

According to the Utility Regulator, the break clause applies only if the Department for the Economy's (DfE) successor scheme, the Domestic Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Heat Programme, is fully developed. Any notice to invoke the clause will be given by the end of September 2027.

Elmhurst put the same point in practical terms: the programme could close on 31 March 2028 if the replacement scheme is ready, and otherwise continues for a further year.

The regulator said DfE aims to launch the successor scheme in 2027/2028 following a consultation on scheme design.

The timetable for bidders

The Utility Regulator set out the following steps for the 2027/2029 round:

Step	Date
Framework Document and Call for Schemes published	8 October 2026
Registration form returned to Energy Saving Trust	23 October 2026
Accedence Agreement signed and returned to the regulator	12 November 2026
Deadline for submission of schemes	15 December 2026
Regulator notifies applicants	March 2027
Latest date for any break-clause notice	End of September 2027

The regulator's April notice had asked organisations not yet registered as Primary Bidders to do so by 31 July 2026. It had also said the 2027/2029 documents would be published at the end of September 2026; they appeared on 8 October.

DfE said NISEP is delivered by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Utility Regulator. Elmhurst said funding comes from a Public Service Obligation charge on electricity bills across Northern Ireland, and that projects are delivered by approved organisations known as scheme managers.

The successor scheme

DfE has set out its plans for the replacement programme in two ministerial speeches published by the department. In the text of a speech to the Energy Ireland conference on 17 June 2026, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said her department was developing the new programme and that a public consultation on its structure would launch that summer. She said the consultation would inform decisions on the measures supported, the financial support available and the quality assurance needed.

In the published text of her speech to the NI Energy Forum on 9 September 2026, the minister said: "This year, we will consult on scheme design and funding options for a new energy efficiency low-carbon heat support scheme".

Elmhurst's 6 November post says a consultation on the design of the new scheme is planned for 2026. No consultation launch notice from DfE was found among the sources for this article.

In the same September speech, the minister said Northern Ireland had reached a record 53% of its electricity generated from local renewables.

Current year's funding

The regulator approved the NISEP schemes for 2026/2027 on 1 April 2026. It said at least 80% of the funding is available to vulnerable or priority customers, a figure Elmhurst also cited.

In January 2026, speaking in Coleraine, the minister announced a £2.17m investment in NISEP that DfE said would support more than 1,000 additional low-income households with measures including loft and cavity wall insulation.

Elmhurst said demand for many NISEP schemes remains high, with some operating waiting lists or prioritising applications according to available funding and eligibility. It said the extension gives installers, contractors, housing providers and community organisations greater stability for planning future projects.

Elmhurst holds its Northern Ireland conference on 12 November 2026, the same day the Accedence Agreement is due with the regulator.