Thousands of public buildings are energy inefficient

Ministers will discuss a memo which asks public sector bodies to cap heating systems at around 19C, to reduce unnecessary heating of low occupancy spaces and to cut energy use.

Wed, 07 Sep, 2022 - 02:00

Elaine Loughlin and Paul Hosford

Thousands of publicly owned buildings are scoring as low as ‘F’ and ‘G’ for energy efficiency or have not received an energy rating at all.

As the Government pushes to increase energy efficiency and reduce consumption to avoid winter blackouts, figures released to the Irish Examiner reveal the scale of energy inefficiency in State-owned buildings for the first time, with many among the worst performing in the country.

Dublin's Pearse Street Garda Station, Goldsmith House which contains Department of Social Protection offices, and Balbriggan Passport Office are among properties that have received a G rating, making them hard to heat and costly to run.

On Wednesday, ministers will discuss a memo brought forward by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan which asks public sector bodies to cap heating systems at around 19C, to reduce unnecessary heating of low occupancy spaces and to cut energy use at peak times.

The Government leaders met on Tuesday night to discuss a raft of emergency measures that could also be introduced to help with soaring energy prices, including a windfall tax on energy providers as well as initiatives to reduce the amount of electricity and gas used by households, businesses, and the public service.

Dublin's Pearse Street Garda Station, Goldsmith House which contains Department of Social Protection offices, and Balbriggan Passport Office are among properties that have received a G rating.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called for a "whole-of-society response" to the crisis, and on Tuesday stressed "sensible things, like policies for public buildings, and that can be applied everywhere".

Speaking in Offaly, Mr Martin said that a Government proposal to limit temperatures and energy usage in Government buildings is "sensible" and was as much to do with price as energy demand.

He added that the Government will give "substantial supports" to the public in the face of rising energy prices.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) manages and maintains around 2,500 public properties around the country, including offices, historic buildings, and courthouses. However, fewer than 250 of these have received a display energy certificate (DEC), which is similar to the BER rating given to residential properties.

Less than 10% of public buildings assessed for energy ratings

Just one A-rated building

Just a single building, Limerick Revenue Warehouse, is listed as A-rated.

Both the Met Office in Glasnevin and Knockalisheen direct provision centre in Co Clare have an E1 rating.

The Department of Defence in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has a D2 energy rating as does Farmleigh House, which is used to accommodate visiting foreign dignitaries.

The OPW also provided details for some Garda properties that it maintains across the country, including Garda Headquarters which has been designated an E2.

The HSE said it does not have BER certificates for hospitals and other buildings it maintains, as it is not required to do so. However, a spokesperson said it does track energy usage in the largest significant energy users (SEUs) and has produced provisional DECs for these.

However, the HSE did not provide details of the number of buildings that have provisional DECs or the energy ratings received for these properties when the Irish Examiner requested this information.

The Department of Education said that all new schools must achieve an A3 BER, but it did not provide figures on the number of buildings that have reached this energy rating.

"The Department’s technical guidance documents set the benchmark for sustainable design in school buildings with a clear focus on energy efficiency and they are based on solid energy research projects," a spokesperson said.

A retrofit pathfinder scheme involving 580 schools is currently being developed, which will act as a pilot for a much larger programme to retrofit schools built prior to 2008.

The OPW also said it will be preparing a roadmap to meet its carbon reduction obligations under the Climate Action Plan, which will involve retrofitting buildings in the portfolio.

An OPW spokesperson said DECs have not been prepared for a number of reasons, including the fact that some are exempt because of their classification as “protected structures” and include monuments and historic properties.

The spokesperson said other buildings are small and so do not meet the minimum criteria. According to the SEAI, the energy audit requirement applies to a public body with individual buildings with a total useful floor area of over 500m2 or an annual energy spend of over €35,000.

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Public buildings and how they rate

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