Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I wish the Deputy a happy Christmas and a happy new year.

With regard to energy efficiency gains in the buildings area, it is the most beneficial, according to cost benefit analyses. It provides the clearest gain, particularly in the context of heating, because demand is consistent and it can be quantified on a building by building basis and reductions achieved. Although capital costs are incurred, the State can deliver efficiencies, gains and cuts in budgets and emissions in this area.

The national efficiency action plan was published on the Internet and was subject to public consultation during October and November. We are moving into the action phase. It will require Government action across all Departments and agencies to make sure we retrofit buildings and we lead the way in the public sector. On a building by building basis, we should ascertain the payback within a set number of years. If, for example, the payback occurs within five years, that will represent a good investment by the State and that would be the economic model to use to deliver efficiency gains.

All Departments are engaged in this process. For instance, the Department of Education and Science is examining every school. All public sector bodies are building a statistical picture to establish current energy use. That exercise will lead to an examination of how to reduce energy use in buildings with high energy use. It is a demanding target but it represents a significant opportunity rather than a cost.

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