ERNACT, Lead Partner of the CLEAN project, has carried out a second stakeholder meeting in County Donegal (Ireland), to raise awareness and engage with regional organisations that are collaborating with our project. The event was held in the Public Services Centre, Letterkenny, and was attended by representatives from Donegal County Council (Ireland), Derry City & Strabane District Council (Northern Ireland) and ERNACT.
Paddy Mullen, Facilities Manager at Donegal County Council, and Leo Strawbridge, Energy Manager at Derry City & Strabane District Council, highlighted the benefits of CLEAN for local authorities and the opportunity it offers to develop new energy efficiency initiatives and partnerships in the North-West Region of Ireland. Caitriona Strain, ERNACT, added that “the CLEAN project provides an opportunity for the North-West Region to increase its energy efficiency and reduce consumption in housing and public infrastructure through technology, open innovation and improvements in low carbon policy instruments”.
Participants also discussed the current regional situation and the energy performance of local public buildings. They exchanged good practices and ideas to improve existing practices. They discussed details about the next project meeting that takes place in October and the opportunity it offers to learn from other EU regions involved in CLEAN.
Revision of Low-Carbon Economy Good Practices
Stakeholders reviewed Good Practices that are already available in the North-West Region of Ireland. For example, experts from Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) discussed the implementation of smarter and more intelligent office lighting systems. DCSDC has implemented energy efficiency measures at its public offices to reduce energy consumption and to set an example within the goal of achieving an energy efficient city.
Donegal County Council (DCC) highlighted their recent ISO 50001 Energy management system accreditation. This is an International Energy Management Standards (EMS) for energy use and consumption. According to Paddy Mullen, an Energy Policy was adopted by Senior Management in DCC, a detailed Energy Review carried out to better understand energy use within the organisation, the key drivers for energy consumption, and how it can be improved. This enabled identification of the type and extent of energy being consumed and the identification of Significant Energy Users.
