Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
717. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions and engagements that his Department has taken to date to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in all buildings under his Department. [40915/22]
View answerMy Department has taken numerous measures to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in all Departmental locations. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland published its Annual Report on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance for 2021. The report notes that my Department has exceeded the baseline target of a 30% energy reduction within the time frame. We currently stand at an energy savings of 39.6% and are on the glide path to meet the 50% target by 2030 as set out in the Climate Action Plan.
In addition, my Department renewed its ISO 14001:2015 Standard Accreditation on 2 September 2021. This accreditation certifies the effectiveness of my Department’s Environmental Management Systems. This means my Department has environmental management systems in compliance with international best practice. Furthermore, we have achieved two firsts among Government Departments, namely; achieving this accreditation and also expanding it on a multisite basis. Energy usage in my Department is monitored by Facilities Management Unit through both the Environmental Management team and with staff participation in local ‘green teams’ throughout departmental locations. Officials in my Department work closely with colleagues in the OPW on an ongoing basis, to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in all Departmental locations. Some of the specific measures undertaken by my Department include:
- The installation of new energy efficient heat pumps in the Custom House Dublin, which will further reduce energy consumption.
- The retrofitting of lights in the Car Park of our Wexford offices with energy efficient LED bulbs.
- Working with the OPW on a programme to swap out old internal light fixtures with new energy efficient, motion activated bulbs throughout all its locations.
- Significant roof insulation works were carried out in our Ballina offices in 2021. These works have improved its BER from C1 to B2. Light fixtures throughout the building were also replaced with energy efficient bulbs during this project.
- My Department Commissioned feasibility studies regarding the installation of Solar Panels in our main office locations. Based on the recommendations of those studies, we are proceeding with the installation of solar panels in our Ballina Offices. We are currently in consultation with the OPW regarding tendering for those works. On installation it is envisaged that the Ballina Office, which is over 30 years old, will be upgraded to an A2 BER which will be a fantastic achievement. It is estimated that the Solar Panels, once installed, will cater for 24.3% of onsite electricity requirements.
- My Department has implemented a One Device Policy which has moved away from issuing desktops as the standard ICT equipment issue, to now issuing laptops which has significantly reduced power consumption.
- My Department’s Green Team was established in order to coordinate environmental management practices across Department sites at the Custom House, Wexford and Ballina with our co-tenants by implementing practices to help reduce the organisation´s energy and environmental footprint and to promote resource efficient practices among employees and suppliers in order to achieve the goals identified in our organisation’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2025 along with the goals and targets identified more specifically in our organisation´s Resource Efficiency Action Plan and Environmental Management Work Programme as part of the Department’s ISO 14001:2015 accreditation.
- The EU Bike2Work project has developed the Cycling Friendly Employer accreditation for bicycle-friendly organisations. Cycling Solutions Ireland provides official European certification of cycle-friendliness in the workplace. Our Custom House offices qualified as a Gold standard cycle-friendly employer at the start of 2022.
- My Department is also a signed up partner of the Smarter Travel Programme. This programme is coordinated by the National Transport Authority and helps to encourage and support active and sustainable travel on the commute to work, thereby reducing carbon emissions and promoting employee health and well-being.
