Irish Examiner view: Setting an example for the rest

An illuminated Cork City Hall reflected on the River Lee. Picture: Denis Minihane

Some of Ireland’s publicly owned buildings appear to be among the least energy-efficient structures in the State, but that shouldn’t undermine efforts to conserve energy and be carbon friendly.

As revealed by this newspaper, buildings as various as Dublin’s Pearse Street Garda Station, Goldsmith House (where the Department of Social Protection has offices), and Balbriggan Passport Office have received a G energy rating, while other publicly owned buildings have received no rating at all. The Office of Public Works maintains approximately 2,500 public buildings in Ireland, but less than 10% of those have received a display energy certificate (DEC), which is equivalent to the residential BER rating.