asked the Minister for Energy if he has initiated steps to arrange for each Government Department to prepare an energy audit in respect of their buildings with a view to reducing the waste of energy and resources in order to reduce costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Departmental Energy Audits.
15.
Departments generally had individual energy liaison officers to oversee and reduce energy conservation in the early eighties and energy audits were in fact carried out in 23 buildings up to 1986. This practice has fallen into disuse but it should be noted that investments made then continue to save energy now in many cases. In addition the installation of new boilers in public offices in Dublin in the context of the gas conversion programme means that many Departments have modern efficient heating systems. Nevertheless, it has been arranged in 1989 that intensive energy auditing and appropriate economically justifiable investment be carried out in the offices of the Department of Energy and at EOLAS. A key ingredient of this project is that the energy and price information and return on investment where appropriate will be accurately measured. Benchmarks for energy requirements per head and per cubic metre will also be devised. The expectation is that this project will create a current data-base which will serve as a tool to promote copy-cat action by other Departments which will be promoted by EOLAS in due course.
Would the Minister agree that the International Energy Agency was very critical of the Government's policy in this area, quoting the poor example that it was providing and citing evidence of up to 20 per cent of costs of energy that could be saved in Government buildings? In view of that would the Minister not regard this response of an audit soley confined to the Department of Energy as an inadequate response to already established savings that were there to be taken?
There is the possibility of achieving further substantial savings in energy costs through the operation of proper conservation methods in buildings and the Government sector has a role to play in this. I am pleased that my own Department are now undertaking this exercise to provide an opportunity to draw up a programme of action which can be applied in the case of other Government buildings and which hopefully will achieve the level of cost savings that I believe are possible. It should be possible for us to achieve another 10 per cent in energy cost savings from the introduction of new efficiency methods of conservation. It is an area that I have a particular interest in and I am anxious to give it a lot more attention than it has had in the last five years.
The expertise and the technology are already there. It is long past the time for running a pilot scheme in EOLAS to see what the potential is. It is identified. There are people in the market who would provide energy saving investments in Government buildings. Would the Minister not think it should be a Government decision to go and do this instead of waiting 12 to 18 months for some pilot study?
I have not been very long in the Department but I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of energy saving devices out there in the marketplace which, when examined by experts, do not achieve all that is claimed for them. I would not, therefore, fall too easily for many of the claims that are made that the savings can be made easily.
I accept the import of what the Deputy is saying, that a lot more could and should be done in this area and I am trying to catch up with it.
Will the Minister agree that we should put our own House in order first? It is generally recognised that this House is very over-heated. Will he agree to look into that matter?
I agree 100 per cent. As somebody who is here much longer than the Deputy I have had practical experience of the over-heated conditions in this House.
Give it some of the heat.
Especially in the Chamber.
Not always created in the Chamber either.