Case Studies

Kildare County Council

TEAM

Energy Management Team

Sector

Public Sector

Energy

Related Services

Energy Advisors

People To Contact

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Overview of service

Kildare County Council (KCC) is a visionary council focusing on sustainability. Its key objectives are to lead a climate-resilient county that is connected and inclusive. Developing a sustainable future and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Kildare through collaboration and innovation is at the heart of what it does. As energy advisors to KCC, ORS is very much aligned with its mission and vision.

Our work with the council involves the provision of advice, analysis and reports, together with the transfer of knowledge and staff training. The strategic advice and support concentrate on longer-term organisational-wide solutions, policy development and identifying energy efficiency funding.

The ORS Energy Management Team carries out SI 426 standard energy audits on offices, libraries, leisure centres, swimming pools, fire stations and other buildings across Kildare county. This allows ORS to identify potential energy efficiencies and savings on behalf of KCC. Feasibility studies are conducted for implementing projects identified through energy audits. They include cost-benefit/payback on each recommendation.

Project challenges

Securing funding

KCC commissioned ORS to develop and implement an Energy Efficient Design (EED) project execution plan for the change of use and refurbishment of an asset. The building was a church being repurposed into a public library. The scope of work was to establish the baseline for the building. The budget for the project was approximately €4 million. The EED involved implementing a design for improved energy performance.

ORS guided KCC through a detailed EXEED application process. The design and proposed funding were successfully accepted by SEAI, resulting in a positive outcome for the client and the local community.

Support

During the detailed energy auditing stage, there was an issue with gathering sufficient data to complete the audit calculations and reporting. The ORS Energy Management Team, from previous client experience, understood the internal obstacles that existed in the organisation. We guided the client through the process, highlighting in detail precisely what was required to complete the project to successful completion and reporting.

Another challenge that can arise with community groups is securing engagement from members of the communities to conduct energy-related upgrades. These can include work for homes and businesses like building fabric upgrades, using renewable energy technology, and upgrading significant energy users to energy-efficient systems.