In February 2015, Dublin City Council and Codema issued a public tender notice which revolutionised the way that energy conservation works are carried out and energy savings are achieved in local authority buildings in Ireland.
Ireland’s First Ever Energy Performance Contract
The tender to carry out energy upgrades to Ballymun, Finglas, and Markievicz sports and fitness centres formed Ireland’s first-ever Energy Performance Contract (EPC) for a local authority.
An EPC is a contract that is awarded to an Energy Service Company (ESCo) to deliver guaranteed energy savings within a building and in turn, these savings help to cover the cost of carrying out the works.
Lawler Sustainability was awarded all contracts under a highly competitive Government procurement process.
Energy Saving Measures
As part of this agreement, we employed a number of energy saving measures and upgrades to achieve the desired energy cost savings.
Our team installed new CHP plants, boilers, pumps, heat recovery AC systems, lighting
upgrades, building management systems, and more across all three facilities in Finglas, Markievicz and Ballymun.
Following just two years after Lawler Sustainability completed these upgrades, each leisure centre was able to boast annual energy savings of 42%. They also saved €170,000 in energy costs and a further €70,000 in maintenance costs.
Dublin City Council – 2nd Energy Performance Contract
Following the success that Lawler Sustainability had with Ireland’s first-ever Energy Performance Contract (EPC) in 2015, Dublin City Council again approached our team to complete their second EPC, this time covering seven different leisure facilities.
Guaranteed Energy Savings
As the Energy Service Company (ESCo), working with Codema, Dublin’s Energy Agency, we have calculated that the project will achieve energy savings of approximately 35% and will offset carbon emissions by 321 tonnes each year.
We guarantee energy savings over an agreed period of 8 years. These savings will be shared between Lawler Sustainability and the Dublin City Council.
Additionally, the contract includes full maintenance of all the equipment associated with the upgrades.
Measurement and Verification
Lawler Sustainability worked with Codema to carry out regular Measurement and Verification (M&V) of savings in each of the buildings including Ballyfermot Sports & Fitness Centre, St. Catherine’s Community Sports Centre, Ballybough Youth & Community Centre, and more.
The energy saving measures and upgrades deployed across the seven leisure centres included:
- Building Management System
- LED Lighting System
- Heat Pump with Heat Recovery
- Solar PV Integration
- Energy Metering