Homeowners and businesses are set to benefit from a cross-border project where local authorities will demonstrate best practice for reducing energy costs.
The cross-border initiative, the Energy Efficiency and Micro-Generation Project, funded through the European Union’s INTERRREG IVA programme commenced in the East Border Region in 2011. Ten local authorities, seven in Northern Ireland and three in Republic of Ireland, selected five of their most energy hungry buildings, fifty buildings in total, to undergo detailed energy audits. As a result of the energy audits, 9 buildings were selected to undergo upgrades to building fabric and building services to reduce the energy consumption.
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From left, Paul McArtain, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Michael Ferguson, Aramark, Councillor Maria McCarthy, Down District Council Charperson, Councillor Alan McDowell, Chair of the EBR, Sharon Digby, EBR Development Officer, and Raymond Haughey, Down District Council Energy and Sustainability Officer.[/caption]
As one of the nine exemplars, the Bridge Community Centre in Killyleagh, will soon benefit from the installation of air-source heat pump technology to provide space heating and the provision of hot water through evacuated tube solar panels. These upgrades to the building’s services will significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with the Bridge Centre.
Another feature of the building upgrades will be a visitor experience display screen in the building foyer which, through collaboration with project partners Dundalk Institute of Technology, will provide monitoring of the building’s energy meters allowing visitors to see a ‘live’ display of the building’s energy performance, comparing live data with historical energy consumption and carbon emissions data.
Raymond Haughey, Energy and Sustainability Project officer, is enthusiastic about the potential of the energy upgrades, and he said: “I am delighted to be involved with this exciting project and welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the energy saving potential of energy efficiency and micro-generation measures to a wide audience through the creation of visitor friendly exemplar buildings within the East Border Region.”
It is expected that the project works will showcase best practice and the renewable technologies most suited to the local climate to local SME’s and homeowners alike.
Down District Council Chairman, Cllr Maria McCarthy welcomed this innovative project saying: “ It is great to see the energy efficiency of the Bridge Centre, Killyleagh being upgraded. The new modern air source heat pump will provide both air heating and hot water for the centre. This will greatly reduce our energy consumption and significantly reduce our carbon footprint. ”
Additional information can be found at:
or follow project progress, with regular updates on twitter@sustainandbuild.
The building upgrades across all nine sites have commenced with works to be complete by the end of March 2014.
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