Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the sentiment. It is a good opportunity for me to mention another avenue in respect of cost issues such as lighting and heating, namely, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. On energy generation projects, the climate action plan sets a clear goal for renewable energy delivered through local community-based projects. These projects will be delivered through the dedicated community category in the renewable electricity support scheme, as well as through microgeneration and small-scale generation schemes. These are real options for community groups as well. Only last night in Skerries in my own constituency I attended a meeting of the Skerries sustainable energy community. They are working with the SEAI to do an assessment of the energy needs and energy consumption of the whole town. They are working with community and sports groups in the town to see what needs to be done to upgrade their facilities, and they will do so in a cost-effective way by doing it collectively. I flag the opportunity for community groups to work with the SEAI to improve the running of their facilities and their costs overall in the medium to long term.

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