Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2012
251. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make representations to ensure that schools will not have to pay the same fixed energy costs as small and medium business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56819/12]
View answerThe Deputy may be aware that in October 2012, Minister Rabbitte and I jointly launched the new 'Energy in Education' initiative to help schools manage energy costs and potentially save €6m over the next year.
Developed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), in collaboration with my Department, the web-based initiative provides a vital service to help schools make energy savings requiring little or no capital expenditure. This new initiative gives schools the tools to manage their own energy and identifies opportunities for significant savings. The initiative can also help to reduce the environmental impact of the school, while also teaching students about good energy using behaviour.
The programme, available to all schools who sign up to workshops and online supports via the website www.energyineducation.ie, takes participants through a five step process to implement energy management, offering a school the unique opportunity to learn about energy management with a view to implementing and making continued savings themselves. To date SEAI has worked with over 250 schools aiding them to make savings in excess of €800k on energy bills through a number of energy saving supports.
The Deputy may also be aware that the National Procurement Service (NPS) has put in place a large number of framework agreements for use by Departments and public bodies when procuring a range of commonly acquired goods and services. In the specific area of energy supply, procurement is already aggregated across the VEC and Higher Education sectors where significant savings have been achieved. My Department will continue to work with the NPS and school management bodies to achieve procurements savings for schools including the supply of energy.
It would not be appropriate for me to intervene in the setting of tariffs for the supply of energy.
