Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2012
153 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to further encourage energy conservation; if he has in mind the identification of specific targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6093/12]
View answerIreland's energy policy framework and specifically the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), contains a long-standing commitment to deliver 20% energy savings in 2020, with a more ambitious target of 33% for the public sector as part of a drive for Government to lead by example.
The current NEEAP sets out actions for the period to 2020 to achieve the energy efficiency targets. The savings identified in the Action Plan represent approximately €1.6 billion in annual energy cost reductions for the economy in 2020 whilst also reducing our CO2 emissions by approximately 5.7 million tonnes per annum.
To put this target in perspective, the national 20% energy saving target is equivalent to 32,000 GWh (gigawatt hours) saved by 2020. The actions outlined in our second NEEAP, which I will shortly be bringing to Government, are projected to realise 33,500 GWh of energy savings in 2020. While the latest projections are positive, a fundamental change in the energy sector, focused on the efficient management and correct use of energy, will be crucial to achieving our ambitious national targets.
Moreover the EU Commission's proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, which is currently under negotiation, signals an intention to place a mandatory obligation scheme on all energy suppliers, with a fixed target for energy savings. This will prove challenging, and with the possibility of binding targets to come, we need to be aware of the demands of future EU policy measures.
My Department has committed funding of €76 million towards the Better Energy programme in 2012. Better Energy: Homes encourages homeowners to improve the energy performance of their homes through the installation of upgrade measures, including roof and wall insulation, boiler upgrades and heating controls. Almost 48,000 homes benefited from energy efficiency upgrades in 2011.
Better Energy: Warmer Homes delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to households that are vulnerable to energy poverty with a total of 20,388 being addressed in 2011. The scheme is delivered through a range of Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors in order to ensure national coverage.
Better Energy: Workplaces provides support for implementing a wide range of qualifying sustainable energy upgrading projects in the public, commercial, industrial and community sectors. In 2011 €11.5m was made available to the scheme, which supported 85 sustainable energy (mainly energy efficiency) investment projects of differing sizes and complexities.
In the public sector, the most significant cost-cutting and energy saving potential lies in improving the energy performance of new and existing buildings and facilities. This will be a key focus of the new National Retrofit Programme, which will seek to raise financing from institutional investors for retrofit work in the public sector.
The Public Sector Programme of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), is the main delivery mechanism for energy efficiency actions by public sector bodies, which provides assessments and training to all public sector bodies and a grant programme to support energy efficiency measures. The SEAI Energy in Business Programme supports efforts by business to improve energy efficiency and competitiveness through structured energy management. It now involves the 150 largest business energy users and 2,000 small businesses.
