March NUI Galway Partner with SEAI to Exceed Public Sector Energy Efficiency

The University has already surpassed the 2020 energy improvement target of 33%

NUI Galway President, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh recently welcomed the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) CEO Jim Gannon to campus to sign the SEAI Public Sector Energy Partnership agreement. The programme commits the University to lead by example to meet and exceed the public sector energy efficiency improvement target of 33% energy reduction by 2020.

NUI Galway is one of the first Irish universities to surpass the 33% target by recently achieving energy savings of over 34%. This result has been achieved with assistance from SEAI through funding for LED lighting projects, solar photovoltaic, energy efficient mechanical plant and electric vehicle charging points around campus. SEAI has also assisted with knowledge sharing and Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) schemes in association with  theHSE and other community groups. The University is continuing its efforts with an internal target of 40% by 2020.

NUI Galway President, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: “Since 2006 the University has been very proactive in reducing energy consumption across the campus. I would like to acknowledge the University’s staff and students who have assisted with our Buildings and Estates department in exceeding the 33% target through ongoing energy awareness campaigns and energy upgrade projects on campus, thus helping NUI Galway lead by example to achieve greater energy reductions by 2020 on campus.”

Jim Gannon, Chief Executive of SEAI, commented: “I’d like to congratulate NUI Galway, who have shown real leadership surpassing their 2020 energy saving targets and by setting even more ambitious plans for the future. Collectively, our public sector energy bill remains at over €600 million. But through energy efficiency and upgrade projects over the past few years, like those demonstrated by NUI Galway, the public sector has made recurring annual energy savings of €191million. We need to build on these successes as we look to not only reduce our consumption, but also move away from more carbon intensive energy sources.”

Dr Frances Fahy,  Senior Lecturer in Geography at NUI Galway, will be one of the speakers at SEAI’s event 'Engaging People' in PortLaoise on Thursday, 14 March. The event will explore energy saving practices in the workplace and the target is the public sector and industry leaders.

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