A Community Energy Plan for Tipperary town is to be officially launched at the Excel centre on January 18th.
The plan has been devised by Energy Consultants ORS with funding provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) through their Sustainable Energy Communities programme.
The Energy Plan summarises the town’s energy use in homes, transport and business.
One of it’s key findings is that €30 million leaves Tipperary Town each year to pay for imported energy. Reducing that by half through insulation, or local renewable energy generation would make the town wealthy and prosperous.
The Energy Plan outlines a roadmap for the town to harness the investment and employment opportunities by saving and generating energy.
The Energy Plan also funded a number of detailed Energy Audits in local community facilities and businesses.
Funding for the plan was secured by Tipperary Town Revitalisation and Tipperary Tidy Towns group.
The launch will form part of Tipperary Town Energy Fair taking place at the Excel Centre on January 18th with doors opening at 6.30pm.
The event will feature information on saving energy, and an Energy Clinic for local households and businesses.
The event will conclude with a panel discussion and Q&A on the next steps for the community.
This will be followed by the Energy Clinic which will run from 8.15pm-9pm.
Tea/Coffee & light refreshments will be served on arrival.
All are welcome and registration is available online at www.tipptownrevitalisation.ie or by calling to the Tipp Town Revitalisation Office on Bridge Street.
The public will be able to meet the speakers for the event and visit trade/information stands from 6.30pm.
Declan Burgess, Cathaoirleach of the Council District will launch the Energy Plan at 7pm.
The findings will be presented by Dan Fennell of O’Reilly Stuart (ORS) Consultants. Other topics to be covered by guest speakers include: “SEAI Supports to Communities” by Ruth Buggie, Programme Manager with the SEAI, “Accessing the Tipperary Community Climate Action Fund” by Marie O’Donnell, Tipperary County Council Climate Action Officer, the Green For Micro and Other Business Supports by Ita Horan, Local Enterprise Office.
The presentations will conclude with a panel discussion and Q&A on the next steps for the community. This will be followed by the Energy Clinic which will run from 8.15pm-9pm.
This evening is being hosted by the SEC steering group including Tipperary Town Revitalisation and Tipperary Town Tidy Towns, with assistance from the SEAI Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) mentor Gearóid Fitzgibbon.
Tipperary Town Revitalisation Manager Michael Begley hopes that the plan will leverage significant investment in the town, “The plan outlines the baseline energy consumption and a Community Action Plan that identifies paths to save and generate energy and create local employment and investment.
Several homes and community facilities undertook detailed audits as part of the programme and we hope that they will progress with energy upgrades in the near future, utilising the supports that are available while acting as pathfinders for others looking to undertake similar Projects.”
