Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the works or measures that have taken place in 2007 to make his Departmental buildings more environmentally friendly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32395/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As part of an Office of Public Works initiative, my Department will undertake an energy awareness campaign early in 2008 which will include raising awareness among staff of the need to conserve energy, identification of possible improvements in heating systems, and an energy audit. To facilitate the monitoring of the effectiveness of the campaign, monitoring software has been installed in Government Buildings. In the interim, a survey is currently under way of the windows and exterior doorways of the Department's offices in Government Buildings to identify and put in place any necessary measures to reduce heat loss or energy wastage. My Department's new building in Tullamore which opened in 2006 incorporated advanced environmental measures including an intelligent lighting system, heat exchange units, fan coil systems rather than air conditioning units, and a building management system which controls heat output dependent on the ambient temperature in the building.