Irish companies fighting to improve their energy efficiency


3 Feb 2011

In the last three years, more than 50pc of Irish companies have taken action to improve their energy efficiency, a new survey from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) suggests.

Details of the survey revealed the importance of reducing energy costs and implementing energy efficiency initiatives. The survey demonstrated that businesses on average achieved 12pc in cost savings.

“More businesses are actively seeking to reduce their energy costs,” said Brian Motherway, chief operations officer of SEAI.

“Businesses participating in our programmes have reduced their costs by an average of 10-20pc. However, it is also evident that many companies are not taking the necessary action despite the opportunity for economic gains. A further €300m of energy savings can be achieved if all of Ireland’s small to medium-sized enterprises start to better manage their energy use.”

One thousand large, medium and small businesses throughout the country participated in the survey that revealed that more than 45pc of medium and large companies now have a committed employee or group of employees overseeing energy consumption and conducting initiatives in businesses to increase energy efficiency.

SEAI has supported more than 2,000 businesses in the last three years through their small business assessment service. Companies have the opportunity to apply for a free energy assessment to examine their energy use. A specialist energy adviser is selected to help them measure their energy use and discover savings opportunities.  

SEAI has reported that, “A golf club in Kildare saved over 10pc on its energy costs in just three months of contacting SEAI by making adjustments to its heating system and installing lighting controls and sensors.”