Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 October 2022
76. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the delivery of a retrofitting programme for schools built before 2008 as committed to in the National Development Plan; the way that schools can seek support to fund these measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49780/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am delighted to advise that the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD and I last week launched the 2023 – 2024 Schools Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme which will evaluate and demonstrate the approach to energy retrofit and carbon reduction in the schools’ sector, testing energy efficiency solutions and renewable heat technologies.
The 2023/24 Pathfinder is jointly funded with a targeted budget of €35 million from the Department of Education and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Planning and Building Unit in the Department of Education, with delivery support from Limerick Clare ETB.
This government-funded energy retrofit pathfinder programme will target energy use and CO2 emission reduction by 51%, testing deep retrofit and low carbon heating solutions. The programme will see up to ten schools benefitting from a selection of energy efficiency works.
This programme continues to assist the Department to explore options and test various solutions for decarbonised energy efficiency solutions in our broad range of school building types.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 commits my Department to develop and resource a scalable model of energy efficiency retrofits in the school sector. The pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger schools national programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the National Development Plan and will play a key part of meeting delivery of the Climate Action Plan.
Design teams are being appointed to each of the schools in the Pathfinder Programme in the feasibility stage, to investigate retrofit and decarbonisation options, and works will roll out from summer 2023, subject to the outcome of the feasibility stage. The feasibility stage includes looking at various options for potential retrofit levels with renewable heat, up to what would be required to be a Zero Emission Building.
The schools for 2023 present a variety of challenges, including building age, archetype and retrofit requirements. The works typically involve upgrades to the building fabric including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades, as well as renewable technologies.
The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 42 schools across Ireland to date, with work on an additional 15 schools currently at various stages of progress.
The general principles and approach to school selection include schools meeting Energy Monitoring and Reporting requirements and demonstrating a strong and holistic commitment to energy management practices through participation in the Energy in Education Programme. The programme selection also seeks to enable various cross sections of school types and sizes, energy consumption profiles and different elements of construction type and heritage/ conservation requirements where specific learnings are being targeted. The pathfinder programme is thus delivered on broad assessment in line with the above considerations and not on an application basis.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 Annex of Actions published earlier this year commits the Department to confirm its decarbonisation pathway trajectory to meet 2030 and 2050 targets for the schools sector by the end of 2022.
I will also be announcing in due course a Climate Action Summer Works Programme to progress climate action specific initiatives which will assist with rollout of smaller scale energy retrofit works in schools.
