Work will soon begin on the formulation of an Energy Master Plan (EMP) for Bagenalstown. Bagenalstown Sustainable Energy Community Network (BSECN), facilitated and working in partnership with County Carlow Development Partnership, were successful in securing a grant of €15,000 for the EMP which will be carried out by consultants Planenergy.
BSECN is a sub-committee of BIG. Committee chairperson. Its aim is for Bagenalstown to become an energy efficient, sustainable community that actively reduces its carbon footprint, thereby impacting positively on the local community & businesses in the town and creating a better quality of life for all in the community. The Energy Master Plan (EMP) will be a major step in achieving these aims.
The EMP will have big benefits for households and businesses in the town. The EMP report will identify the amount any types of energy use in the town. It will identify ways for households and businesses to save money while also reducing the community’s carbon footprint. Bagenalstown will also be in a better position to access the many energy upgrade grants recently announced by the Government.
On completion of the report BSECN will have a public information event on the EMP. Retrofitting and renewable energy companies will be present to advise community members on the best approach for themselves, or a group of houses, to avail of government grants.
The EMP is now in the latter stage of completion. Some of its initial findings were startling. The draft report found that €17 million is spent on fossil fuels in the Bagaenalstown area annually. In line with the government’s Climate Action Plan, BIG intends to work with the community to reduce this by one third over the next five years.
In early 2021 BIG became the lead community organisation in a new initiative to promote energy conservation in the community. In co-operation with Carlow Leader Development Company (CLDC), a new Sustainable Energy Community Network committee was formed.
BIG used print and social media to invite community membership on the committee. The committee’s members come from a variety of sectors and worked together to produce a Community Charter and grant application form to SEAI for funding. If successful, the funding will be used to employ an engineer to formulate an Energy Master Plan (EMP). The committee will use the EMP as a basis to mobilise the community around specified energy conservation goals. BIG will be to the fore during all stages of the initiative.