Local authority ‘not yet on target’ for energy efficiency improvement goal
WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL is not yet on course to meet its energy efficiency improvement target by 2020, according to a new report.
The SEAI’s Annual Report 2019 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance during 2018 found that the local authority had achieved energy savings of 11.4 per cent since 2009, but was not on target to meet the 33 per cent energy efficiency improvement required of all public bodies by 2020.
The agency estimated around 8,501,200kWh of energy had to be saved by Wicklow County Council to reach the target by 2020 based on its return for 2018.
The report included a comment from the local authority which stated over 50 energy efficiency measures had been identified in 2018 for implementation in 2019, and ‘once implemented, these should significantly improve energy performance’.
Wicklow County Council was ranked as the lowest performer in terms of energy savings out of the 32 local authorities. 15 of the local authorities around the country were found to be not on course to hit their energy efficiency improvement target by 2020.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Wicklow County Council said that an energy management team had been established.
‘This team oversees a programme that will see significant reductions in energy usage for Wicklow County Council for the next number of years.
‘In 2019, Wicklow County Council applied for a grant under the SEAI Better Energy Communities. This application included 50 projects, covering everything from lighting to insulation to Solar PV panels at eleven council sites and six local authority houses. The council sites were: Bray Public Library headquarters, Public Library Eglington Road, Greystones Depot, Greystones Civic Offices, Coral Leisure Centre Arklow, Clermont House, Bray Fire Station, Wicklow, Arklow and Bray Recycling Centres and Coral Leisure Centre, Wicklow.‘
The statement said these measures were expected to save 836,000kWh of energy.
It went on to highlight a project to install ‘a 300kWp solar photovoltaic system on a car port structure covering around 140 car park spaces and circa 1600 m2 at County Buildings. This will produce 40 per cent of County Buildings current electricity requirement.
‘This tender will be advertised shortly and will be by way of a Local Energy Supply Contract (LESC) where services providers will be invited to tender to install the solar photovoltaics (PV) units on site and the subsequent produced electricity will be purchased by the local authority under a purchase agreement.‘
The statement added that the council plans to replace older type soduium lights with LEDS as part of a national programe
‘The retrofitting all public lighting with LEDs in Wicklow will cost in the region of €8 million and will generate energy and maintenance savings of approximately €16 million over a 20-year period.’
According to the statement, public lighting accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total energy consumption. Another significant source of energy usage is the four swimming pools operated by the council.
The statement also confirmed that the council ‘is progressing with an application under the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat’, a Government funded initiative designed to increase the energy generated from renewable sources in the heat sector.
Three-hundred-and-forty-five public bodies and 2,678 schools reported their energy performance for 2018 to the SEAI, submitting information about their annual energy consumption. Local authorities, schools and other public bodies also reported details of plans to improve their energy performance such as retrofits, transport changes and energy management.
Overall, an improvement in efficiency increased to 27 per cent, up from 24 per cent in 2017. The SEAI said this was equivalent to €246 million in avoided energy spend and 761,000 tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions.