Eight Offaly schools shortlisted for an energy retrofit programme

MINISTER for Education Norma Foley TD has announced that eight schools in County Offaly have been shortlisted for an energy retrofit programme as part of an €81 million EU funding package.

This is part of a package of funding totalling €240 million which Ireland has secured under the REPowerEU Programme. REPowerEU is the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, boost the independence and security of the Union’s energy supply and accelerate the green transition.

A pool of 40 schools across five counties have been included in the initial assessment phase. Schools ultimately selected for inclusion in the programme will be given a deep retrofit to achieve a Building Energy Rating (BER) of at least B by installing heatpumps, LED lighting and mechanical heat recovery ventilation. The fabric and airtightness of the schools will also be upgraded and electric car chargers will be installed.

The eight Offaly schools are Mercy Primary School, Birr, Shinrone Mixed NS, Clara Convent NS, SN Naomh Colmchille Durrow, St Patrick's NS, Edenderry, St Cynoc's NS, Ferbane, Sacred Heart Secondary School, Tullamore, and Geashill NS.

Minister Foley said: “I am pleased to be able to announce that the Department of Education has been successful in obtaining such a significant level of funding through this REPowerEU programme.

“I welcome that eight schools in County Offaly have been shortlisted for inclusion in this Programme. The schools approved for an energy retrofit will enjoy significantly better energy performance and a more comfortable teaching and learning environment.”

The €81 million funding to the Department of Education represents the largest of the five investments included in Ireland’s funding allocation for its National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It will add to the number of schools being given deep retrofits under the existing school pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme.

Minister Foley said: “It is really positive to see the results of the extensive collaboration between my department, the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Commission in having this formally adopted through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.”

The schools which will benefit from the retrofitting funding were part of a pilot phase of the Schools Energy Inventory project. This project covered schools in Kildare, Meath, Offaly, Wicklow and Wexford. It was completed with support from the European Investment Bank.

In developing the Schools Energy Inventory, each school is surveyed by an experienced construction professional using a survey tool developed by the Department of Education. Up to 130 pieces of data are collected at each school, including high level building areas and types of different fabric elements and information about lighting, heating and domestic hot water etc.

This data is entered on a tablet computer onsite, imported into the department’s Geographical Information System (GIS), then processed into a relational database which performs numerous calculations to determine a School Energy and Carbon Estimated Rating (SEACER).

The funding announced will facilitate completion of the energy survey of all schools in the 21 remaining counties.

This consolidated database has significant potential to assist with future prioritisation of decarbonisation and investments in the school estate, enabling identification and targeted development of future school sector energy and decarbonisation programmes that will reduce overall reliance on fossil fuels and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy.

The new funding for the extended pathfinder programme is targeted at schools of a scale and size that will enable the works to be completed over a single school term/summer holiday period. This means that the schools selected for inclusion are typically eight to ten-classroom primary schools and post-primary schools with similar floor area.

While 40 schools across the five counties have been selected for initial assessment, final decisions on schools to be included in the programme will take account of a range of factors, including the scope of works required in the individual school following detailed assessment by design teams, procurement considerations, and the need to remain within both budgetary and time parameters.