40% drop in energy costs

Date Published: 12-Oct-2007

There was a massive 40% reduction in energy costs to tenants following a major overhaul of a local authority housing complex.

The Walter Macken Flats in Mervue received additional insulation, thermal windows, high efficiency gas condensing boilers, heating control and low energy lighting as part of the refurbishment it underwent in the last few years.

The additional energy features were funded in part by a grant from Sustainable Energy Ireland under the House of Tomorrow Programme.

As part of the award, the Galway Energy Agency Ltd conducted an energy monitoring analysis on four typical apartments in the complex and compared it to design criteria and standard practice in flats without the energy saving measures.

The study identified an average energy and emissions saving of over 40% per year, with a similar reduction in operational costs to the tenants, according to Galway City Council’s 2006 annual report.

The overall project upgrade provides an…..