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Irish Public Sector saved €1.8 billion through avoided energy use since 2009

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Irish Public Sector saved €1.8 billion through avoided energy use since 2009

This Month: SEAI published Annual Report 2021 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance 

We are proud to announce that Irish Public bodies and government departments are 34% more energy efficient than in 2009, exceeding the 2020 target of 33%.

Ultan Technologies’ SensorCIS (Monitor and Reporting System; M&R) continues to be the reporting tool used to provide public bodies with energy efficiency performance information, facilitating the achievement of 2030 targets.

In 2019, the reported energy efficiency from public bodies and schools was 29%. Almost 400 public bodies and over 2,800 schools reported their energy performance and collectively improved their energy efficiency to 34%, an increase of 5% in that year.

“The annual M&R process continues to be an enabling tool, providing public bodies, their Energy Performance Officers and key stakeholders with the performance information that enables strategic decision-making and actions to facilitate further progress and achievement of the national targets.”
Annual Report 2021 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance

This 34% improvement represents proactive engagement by all public bodies and their Energy Performance Officers since the introduction of the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy.

"Today’s report demonstrates that Ireland’s public sector is leading the way for the rest of the country to follow. We have seen excellent progress with a collective 34% energy efficiency improvement achieved by the public sector in the last 11 years, exceeding the target set for 2020. However, the next decade will require a concerted effort to meet our targets and overcome the climate crisis. The Programme for Government sets out an ambitious vision for the public sector to achieve 50% energy efficiency improvement and 51% CO₂ reduction by 2030. Looking ahead, there will be an emphasis on developing a cost effective retrofit programme for the public sector building stock and electrification of public sector vehicles, to achieve the vision for 2030.”
Eamon Ryan T.D
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Transport

The eighth annual report on the energy efficiency performance of public bodies in Ireland showed that the energy efficiency performance achieved for 2020 is a good result, representing €298 million in cost savings for the sector and 848,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from avoided energy use in 2020.

“Achieving the target set out for 2020 demonstrates real leadership and commitment towards improved energy efficiency by the public sector. Our focus now shifts to the next decade and the challenging targets for 2030. SEAI will be working closely with public bodies to help them achieve the changes necessary so they can rise to the challenge and meet the 2030 targets.”
William Walsh
CEO of SEAI

Data from SensorCIS was used by the SEAI to provide evidence of the public bodies’ efficiency gains through the implementation of thousands of diverse projects. Here are the key findings from the analysis of the data reported by 344 public bodies and 2,807 schools for 2020:

 

  • Their combined total primary energy consumption was 9,160 GWh and their total energy spend was €597 million.
  • This is estimated to represent 99% of the energy consumption of the sector.
  • Annual primary energy savings of 4,576 GWh were achieved, which is equivalent to 848,000 tonnes of CO₂ savings.
  • These savings amount to a 34.1% improvement on business as usual, representing €298 million in cost savings for the sector in 2020.
  • The cumulative avoided CO₂ emissions since energy efficiency baseline amount to 6,071,000 tonnes, while the cumulative value of energy savings over the same period is €1,856 million.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the public sector was able to come together and still achieve the energy improvement goal. The reporting compliance rate for standalone schools for 2020 was 76%, which is an increase on the 70% compliance rate the previous year.

Read the full report here.

“SEAI, on behalf of DECC (Department of Energy & Climate Change), established the M&R system to enable public bodies and schools to track their energy efficiency performance towards their targets. This system is based on the groundwork put in place since 2009 by SEAI to enable the public sector to meet its energy efficiency reporting requirements.”
Annual Report 2021 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance

SensorCIS is used by the public bodies to report their energy consumption data. It is also being used by several organisations (including Public Bodies) to monitor their energy usage on a real time basis. Ultan Technologies’ energy managers have helped all of their metering clients to achieve savings that are greater than the cost of the meters installed.

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