EU funded LIFE LEAP Project launch in Co. Leitrim
Donegal County Council were represented by the North West Energy Agency at the recent launch of the Local Energy Agencies for Peripheral regions (LEAP) project in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim.
The EU funded LIFE LEAP project is a collaboration between Atlantic Technical University (ATU) Sligo, (Project Lead), the County Councils of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Udaras na Gaeltachta and Aran Island Co-op. The project will support the development of an Area Based Home Retrofitting market in the Region through three newly established Local Energy Agencies in Donegal, Sligo/Leitrim and Galway.
The challenges for home renovation or retrofit specific to this region include:
- More dispersed population living in older homes with poor energy performance
- High reliance on oil and solid fuel heating, especially peat in rural areas and coal in low-income homes
- Fragmented supply chain
- Higher delivery due to dispersed homes in peripheral areas
The launch event featured presentations from experts in the field of retrofitting and energy efficiency followed by a panel discussion.
Ireland has committed to retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030, this translates to almost 15,800 homes in County Donegal whose population is 167,084. Predominantly rural in character, Donegal covers an area of 4,801 km2 and is the fourth-largest County in Ireland. It is nationally recognised for its rugged diverse landscape and extensive indented coastline.
Engaging the large volume of homeowners needed to participate in the energy retrofit upgrades will be challenging. This can be addressed by using established networks such as the SEAI Sustainable Energy Community Programme which has the ability to reach large numbers of interested parties.
A ‘Sustainable Energy Community’ is a community in which everyone works together to develop a sustainable energy system for the benefit of their community. They aim to be energy efficient, to use renewable energy where feasible and to develop decentralised energy supplies. There are currently 34 Sustainable Energy Communities spread throughout Donegal.
Donegal has the added problem of defective concrete blocks being used to build thousands of houses across the County. These homes will have to be partially or fully demolished so there is an opportunity to rebuild these homes to higher energy efficiency standards then when first built.
The North West Energy Agency is in its infancy, but it is hoped the Agency will assist homeowners by providing advice and project management services for their home energy retrofits.
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