Energy changes result in €213,000 savings on bills at Powerscourt

A NUMBER of changes at Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa has seen the venue reduce its carbon footprint by a massive 831 tonnes each year, resulting in an annual saving of almost €213,000 on its energy bills.

The changes were put in place after energy provider Energia carried out an extensive audit of the venue and put together an energy efficienty plan for the hotel. A key factor in thi s was replacing 12,138 old incandescent light fittings with more efficient LED lights.

Since then, the hotel has reduced its energy usage by 1,788,389 kWh each year, lowering its carbon footprint by over 831 tonnes over the next twelve months and resulting in an annual saving of almost €213,000 on its energy bills.

The work was carried out under Energia’s ‘Cash for Kilowatts’ scheme which provides grant funding to companies for energy efficiency projects. It means that any company carrying out an energy efficiency project can qualify for grant funding based on the amount of energy they save.

The grant can fund up to 30 per cent of the project cost and is open to all businesses, whether or not they are customers of Energia.

‘We are set in the heart of county Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland, so the environment is very close to our hearts,’ said Michael Byrnes, Director of Engineering at Powerscourt Hotel.

‘After Energia carried out a straightforward energy audit, we realised that for a relatively small investment we could significantly cut our energy bill and, more importantly, seriously reduce our carbon footprint, the decision was easy,’ he said.

‘ The upgrade work was very smooth and had no impact on our operations.’