2019 Year In Review

Happy New Year everyone! As we settle back into work, we take a look back at 2019 and what was a busy year for the Agency.€2.7 Million Worth of Energy Upgrades for Tipperary Communities 

In 2019, the Tipperary Energy Agency delivered €2.7 million worth of projects through SEAI’s Better Energy Community  grant scheme. There were 13 beneficiaries in total including local authorities, public sector organisations, private sector organisations and a section 38/39 organisation. Full details here.

SuperHomes Retrofits

SuperHomes Ireland had another busy year working with homeowners in Tipperary and beyond to retrofit their homes. They also completed work on the oldest home to be retrofitted to A1 BER standard. The home was originally built in 1850. It is one of only 34 existing dwellings (not new builds) with a BER of A1 in Ireland. SuperHomes Ireland are now taking applications for 2020 here.

Sustainable Tipp

It was a busy year for Sustainable Tipp after the official launch in February. Lots of different information events were held throughout the county including Energy in Agriculture which saw over 2,000 farmers attend the one day event in Gurteen College. We worked with a group of 4th year students from Presentation Secondary School, Ballingarry on a 4 week energy awareness project. The project which was funded by Tipperary County Council Environment Section saw students learn about energy audits, the importance of them and how to carry out an energy audit. Read more about the project here

In partnership with Tipperary County Council, we launched a Design Competition for NZEB Home Extensions. SustainableTipp is now accepting entries for the best design of a home extension to NZEB standard.  There is a €3000 prize fund for the best designs. Full details here.

Read the full Sustainable Tipp 2019 Review here.

Marie Donnelly Received Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Energy Award

Our Board Member, Marie Donnelly, received the Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Energy Award at the 2019 SEAI Awards. Throughout her thirty year career in the European Commission, Marie has been a leading advocate of future oriented policies and strategies – most recently to accelerate the energy transition. Full details here.

Events 

February was a busy month, we helped launch Sustainable Tipp at Moyne Templetuohy GAA grounds. Moyne Templetuohy GAA upgraded their lighting system to a more energy efficient system. The upgrade was 50% funded through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s Better Energy Communities (BEC) programme and project managed by Tipperary Energy Agency. The club also availed of funding through Tipperary County Council’s Capital Grants for Community Facilities & Amenities programme. Read more about the launch here.

We also held a Sustainable Transport workshop in Fenruary as part of Sustainable Tipp. Tipperary based Hauliers, Licensed Operators, Public & Private Bus Operations and Large SMEs with fleet cars were invited to attend a half day workshop to have their say on sustainable transport plans for the county. The 30 attendees also got to view the latest Electric Vehicles which were on display by local Tipperary car dealers.

In March, our CEO Paul Kenny attended the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action to debate the Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill. You can watch Paul’s piece below

During Sustainable Energy Week in June, over 80 Tipperary people learnt about the different energy efficient grants available. As part of Sustainable Tipp, we held information evenings in various Tipperary libraries to inform the people of Tipperary about the different grants and funding options available to carry out energy efficient upgrades. Read more here.

We were part of the organizing committee of Energy in Agriculture for the fourth consecutive year. The hugely popular agricultural energy event took place in Gurteen College and was an informative open day which gave farmers the opportunity to enhance their knowledge base and optimise their business through the adoption of renewable energies.

We ran 2 heat pump seminars in Tipperary and Sligo entitled ‘Specification & Design of Heating Systems with Heat Pumps’ with 60 attendees. We are running this course again in Dublin on February 14th. Full details here.

Moyne Templetuohy GAA Sponsorship

We were delighted to announce the sponsorship of a new set of away jerseys for the Moyne Templetuohy GAA Senior Hurling Team. Tipperary Energy Agency have developed a good relationship with Moyne Templetuohy GAA after project managing the upgrade of their lighting system to a more energy efficient system in 2018. Full details here.

sponsor

In The News 

We were mentioned in many different media outlets throughout the year including RTE, Today FM, Green News and the Irish Times. Our CEO even made an appearance on a Croatian news programme.

Green news

  1. https://greennews.ie/state-urged-to-remove-barriers-community-energy-schemes/
  2. https://greennews.ie/rooftop-solar-key-to-winning-support-for-energy-transition/
  3. https://greennews.ie/climate-committee-report-widely-welcomed-ngos-experts/

Irish Times – https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-going-backwards-in-reducing-co2-emissions-from-domestic-heating-1.3894270

Irish Examiner – https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/specialreports/budget2020-case-studies-how-the-public-reacted-to-paschals-budget-955881.html 

Tipperary Live

  1. https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/home/362322/tipperary-conference-to-put-focus-on-sustainable-energy-and-cutting-transport-costs.html
  2. https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/home/428494/presentation-secondary-ballingarry-chosen-to-be-part-of-energy-pilot-project.html

Today FM – https://www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the-last-word-with-matt-cooper/carbon-tax-introduced