Sinéad Reynolds

Who they are?

• National Energy Agency

• Sustainability Act 2002

• Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

• Mission: To promote and assist the development of sustainable energy

Sinéad Reynolds

What they do?

Focus: • Energy Efficiency

• Renewable Energy

• Reduce Greenhouse Gasses from energy

• Reduce Adverse Emissions (incl. GHG) from energy

Sinéad Reynolds

Sinéad Reynolds

How it is done.• Built Environment:

– EPBD/Home Energy Rating

– SEBNet

• Industry:

– Large Industry Energy Network (LEIN)

– Training/Support

• Customer Service:

– Customer Information

5 Step Approach to Energy Management for Business

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Energy Audits Objective

• Type of energy is being used.

• How much is being consumed.

• Cost of Energy

• Where the energy is being used.

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Energy Audits - Questions

• How efficiently is the energy being used?

• What are the potential savings?

• How can they be achieved?

• How much will it cost to achieve savings?

• What are the priority areas?

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Performance Indicators

• Comparison of performance against benchmarks

• Expressed as kWh/m²/year

• Useful for identifying priority buildings

• Useful for identifying priorities within buildings

(e.g. gas, electricity & water)

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Benchmarks kWh/m²/year

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Areas for Savings

• Design of buildings and services

• Specification of energy using equipment

• Management and use of equipment

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Heating & Ventilation Saving Areas

• Boiler Efficiency – combustion efficiency test

• Distribution System

• Controls

• Hot Water

• Fabric Improvements

• Heat Recovery

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Electrical Saving Areas

• Lighting:– Lamp Type, fitting, control and use of daylight

• Fans & Pumps:– Control, Extract Fans and Maintenance

• Refrigeration:– Temperature, Sealing

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Energy Awareness Events

• Raise awareness among staff• Staff are more willing to help if their

input is wanted and appreciated• Allow staff to make a difference• Recognise and reward success• Keep staff informed of any

developments arising from their input• Climate change affects us all!

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Energy for the home• Servicing Boiler:

– Save up to €150 per year– Servicing oil or gas boiler

improves overall efficiency by 10%

• Servicing Boiler Benefits:– Saves money - reducing heating costs – Reduces CO2 emissions - benefiting

the environment – Gives peace of mind - improving

boiler's reliability and safetySinéad Reynolds

Natural Lighting in the Home• Rooms should be furnished to allow daylight in.

• Furniture and other obstacles should not obstruct daylight penetration of the room.

• Paint surfaces of rooms, including ceilings, should be colours of high reflectance to maximise the day lighting opportunities (also the effectiveness of artificial light). – Light colours reflect up to 80% of incident light

while deep / dark colours might reflect less than 10% of incident light.

• Dirt on vertical windows reduce performance by 10% and even more if the dirt is allowed to build up on roof-lights.

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Artificial Lighting in the Home

• Artificial lighting should remain off as long as there is sufficient daylight.

• Lighting should be as efficient as possible to meet the household requirements.

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Insulating the Home• Insulating attic can save up to 20% on heating bill. • Wall insulation can be increased in a number of ways.

(i) insulated dry lining, (ii) blown mineral or cellulose fibre or polystyrene beads into the cavity, or(iii) rigid external insulation with render or brick finish.

• Double glazed units when replacing windows. Much of the heat loss from a house occurs through the windows particularly if they are single glazed.

• A cylinder with factory applied insulation should be considered.

• A lagging jacket on hot water cylinder will keep water hotter for longer and pay for itself in 2-3 months

• Closed curtains at night should not hang over the radiators.

• A reflective foil, backed by insulation if space permits should be fixed behind radiators mounted on external walls

Sinéad Reynolds

Conclusion

Effective Energy Management does bring real benefits through

– Reduced Costs

– Reduced environmental footprint

Sinéad Reynolds