Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
549. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform he special measures his Department is taking to reduce energy usage in the scenario in which members of the public are being asked to do the same. [19647/22]
View answerMy Department works to reduce its carbon footprint primarily through the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy. The Department's performance in that regard is reflected in the 2021 Annual Report on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance, prepared by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). This sets out details of the energy efficiency performance of public bodies in Ireland and notes that overall, this Department's Energy Group, which comprises 9 bodies, including the Department itself, has achieved 45% energy savings to end 2020, making it more efficient than the baseline and achieving its 2020 target. The Department’s own energy saving of 60% remains on track for the 2030 target and has been achieved mainly by measures such as behavioural changes and better energy management and space utilisation.
The Department will continue to contribute to the implementation of the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy, in conjunction with the bodies under its aegis, the Department of Finance in the context of a number of shared buildings, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and the SEAI.
The Department has also published a Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP) to assist the Department and its staff in making savings in water, materials and energy use, as well as preventing food waste and maximising recycling within the work environment
In addition, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has demonstrated significant success with regard to energy efficiency in its portfolio of buildings, of which my Department is a part, over many years. The bulk of the savings have been achieved through a large scale staff energy awareness campaign (Optimising Power @ Work). Launched in 2008, the campaign operates in over 275 large Central Government buildings (this covers approximately 80% of the energy usage in the OPW portfolio). Average energy savings of over 25% have been achieved through this initiative.
The OPW is currently working with SEAI to secure additional funding (€20m) over a 3-year period for deeper energy retrofit pathfinder projects in OPW buildings. In addition to the type of upgrades carried out in the previous programme, the new projects will also include substantial building fabric and air tightness upgrades. The energy standard that will be required in these projects will be to achieve a minimum BER B after the energy retrofit works are complete.
In addition to its work on energy efficiency, the Department continues to participate in the state led schemes that assist in reducing Ireland's carbon footprint more generally. These include the cycle-to-work scheme, the travel-tax saver scheme and the promotion of green initiatives, such as recycling etc., within the Department.
