The Irish government has placed its citizens, businesses and communities at the heart of plans to improve the country’s energy efficiency levels in a new white paper published today.
The ‘Ireland’s Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future’ whitepaper was published by minister of energy Alex White this morning and outlines what actions the Irish government will take over the next 15 years, setting out over 90 planned government actions.
Among these points are plans to promote ‘energy citizens’. Under the proposals, consumers will be expected to drive a transition to using less energy by adopting low carbon options for transport and heating, and participating in energy markets by shifting their energy use to off-peak times, or investing in smart home technologies.
This transition will see the energy system change from one that is almost exclusively government and utility-led, to one where citizens and communities will increasingly be participants in renewable energy generation, distribution and energy efficiency. This will include the promotion of community-level energy efficiency and renewable energy projects which will be developed alongside local authorities and energy agencies.
“For the first time an Irish government has set its course on the eventual elimination of fossil fuels from our energy system,” Minister White said, speaking at the launch in Dublin’s Mansion House.
“We will only achieve this ambitious degree of decarbonisation by engaging all citizens in energy policy and its implementation. Meeting the challenge of global warming can no longer be confined to the realm of international treaties or Government decisions. It is about changing the way we heat our homes and businesses. It is about reassessing how we travel. It is about participating in decisions about the infrastructure needs of a low carbon Ireland.
This work will be led by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which will provide support to community and homeowner participation by sharing best practice, provide information and ensure that local strategies align with broader Government policy.
This strategy is intended to help improve 1.7 million homes in Ireland, which the SEAI estimates will require a capital investment of around €35 billion to make the existing housing stock low carbon by 2050. In addition to efforts to ensure consumers engage far more fully in energy efficiency, the Irish government also plans to ensure its Better Energy Programme will deliver a greater number of deeper energy efficiency upgrades. The scheme, which will be redesigned following consultation with consumers and other stakeholders, offers fixed cash grants for insulation and heating system upgrades and will supported by the additional funding allocated in the Government’s 2016 to 2021 capital investment programme, as well as EU funding opportunities.
Greater home energy efficiency will also be prompted by regulation, with plans to strengthen Part L of the Building Regulations and to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Buildings by 2020 as mandated by the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
The SEAI will also lead Ireland’s efforts in the private sector and will provide advice to businesses and support in accessing energy services expertise and commercial funding to be used for large scale energy efficiency upgrades. The Energy Efficiency Obligation scheme will also be updated following a consultation to set more targets for different sectors due to begin in 2017.
The public sector will also be expected to reduce its energy usage, with a Public Sector Energy Efficiency Action Plan to be published in early 2016 to provide clear policy direction for public sector action on energy efficiency and sustainable energy management. This is intended to drive the delivery of large-scale projects, including deep retrofitting of buildings, public lighting and transport. A requirement will also be introduced for each public sector body and government department to appoint a senior manager as an energy officer. Multi-disciplinary project development assistance will be developed to provide ‘end to end’ support for large scale public sector energy efficiency projects.
The Public Sector Energy Efficiency Action Plan has been designed to help the Irish Government meet an energy efficiency target set in 2009 of 33% by 2020. It had reached 17% by the end of 2013, and was called on to make a greater level of effort to reach the 2020 target
All of these measures are to be introduced in an effort to ensure Ireland will have achieved the highest possible level of energy efficiency by 2030 using a combination of public and private investment.
The actions outlined in the white paper are intended to reduce Ireland’s energy-related carbon emissions by between 80% and 95%, compared to 1990 levels, by 2050, potentially giving it a higher aspiration that the UK government. Alex White added that Ireland would eventually have to generate 100% of its energy from clean sources.
Minister White added: “Over the next two to three decades, we will be changing the way we live – and changing it for the better. It’s a story that will impact on all our people. We will find ourselves thinking in a new way about how we use energy in our homes, in our schools, at work, and when we travel. The changes are not something to be feared.
“In future years we will look back and wonder what took us so long. We will look on our old energy behaviours and realise that they were no longer sustainable. And we will recognise the positive benefits of our actions for the environment, for the reduction of greenhouse gases, and for addressing extreme weather events. This White Paper will change the way we live, very much for the better.”
The full text of the White Paper is available here.
