Dept to spend €50m on retrofitting 14 schools

Education Minister Norma Foley said the energy efficient retrofit pathfinder scheme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger schools decarbonisation programme. Picture: Moya Nolan

The Department of Education is to spend €50m to retrofit just 14 schools across the country.

That compares to the €110m which it has spent since 2017 on retrofitting some 64 schools under the school retrofitting pathfinder programme. 

In announcing the new phase for 14 schools, the department said the €50m bill is due to a “variety of challenges including building age, archetype and retrofit requirements".

“The works typically involves upgrades to the building fabric including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades as well as renewable technologies,” a department spokesperson said.

The 14 schools will be retrofitted and upgraded to a B energy rating with renewable heating to reduce their CO2 emissions by 51%.

Those schools include Castleisland Community College and St Francis Special School in Kerry as well as Scoil Micheal Naofa and Newport College in Tipperary.

Schools spread across Wexford, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath and Offaly will also benefit.

Education Minister Norma Foley said the energy efficient retrofit pathfinder scheme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger schools decarbonisation programme, which will focus on schools built before 2008.

The deep energy retrofit programme for schools built before 2008 is due to be rolled out under the National Development Plan to deliver on 2030 and 2050 climate action targets.

Ms Foley said the programme to date has helped to test solutions for reducing emissions in a broad range of different school buildings.

The programme is jointly funded by the Department of Education and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and will be administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

SEAI chief executive William Walsh said the programme allows the SEAI to work with the public sector’s “largest energy users” to test solutions and provide capital support for flagship projects.

The pathfinder programme has led to the retrofitting of different types of schools in 19 counties.

The new phase of the programme will cover schools in the remaining seven counties that had not previously been included.