Drive is on to cut energy costs in West Kerry
WEST Kerry is at the centre of a series of initiatives aimed at helping people reduce their electricity costs by becoming more energy efficient.
At the moment three separate schemes are in the process of getting up and running. Each of the schemes is being run independently, but there is a significant crossover in that they all aim to encourage and assist people to make more efficient use of electricity and energy-saving technology.
One of these schemes was the focus of a seminar arranged by Udarás na Gaeltachta in Ballyferriter last Wednesday. Representatives of community groups were invited to hear about the Local Energy Community Scheme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund. This scheme aims to create awareness of energy usage by communities and provide the tools for groups to take action to conserve energy as well as using renewable energy sources.
Fionnán Ó hÓgáin, Development Officer with Udarás na Gaeltachta, said that this initiative “is to raise awareness of the need to take action relating to energy security”. Ireland’s dependence on imported fuel for electricity generating stations means that the country and therefore individual communities are in a vulnerable position. Speaking with The Kerryman he said, “this scheme will tie in very well with the future plans that the ESB have for redeveloping their infrastructure in West Kerry”.
Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op are also weighing in behind energy-saving efforts in West Kerry and at a meeting to be held in Dingle Library this Thursday night at 6.30pm the co-operative will provide guidance on steps that can be taken to reduce home energy costs. Information will also be supplied on rooftop solar panels and on available grants including the Better Energy Communities (BEC) grant scheme. The meeting will also outline how people can become members of KSEC.
Micheal O Coileáin of Transition Kerry said: “Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op is involved in the nitty gritty aspects of energy conservation e.g. the wood purchasing scheme, which provides high quality firewood from native trees at a good price.
Meanwhile, the ESB announced in September that they are investing €4m in Dingle to investigate how the ‘smart’ electricity network of the future will operate. This scheme, which is by far the most high profile energy-use initiative planned for West Kerry, aims to establish a test bed for ESB networks, where trails will be carried out.
The ESB initiative is being facilitated in West Kerry by Mol Teic – the local group that set up the Dingle hub in Cooleen which is already proving very successful.
John Sheehy of Mol Teic said that “all the people working in the area of energy conservation are liasing” to avoid duplication of effort. While specific details are not available at present he said a public information meeting will be held at the end of January.
The initiatives being rolled out in West Kerry tie in with a national concern about energy costs and usage. According to the Energy Security in Ireland Report, we spend over €5bn annually on imported energy, either as electricity or as fuel for producing it. Most of this is imported from Britian and there is a concern that, post brexit, EU tariffs could push up these prices considerably with obvious implications for the national economy, not to mention the cost of heating our houses in West Kerry.