Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the recommendations from the national energy efficiency action plan which will be implemented before end of 2009; if he will direct attention to the services area in particular; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there has been a significant growth in energy use in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24052/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I published "Maximising Ireland's Energy Efficiency - The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2009–2020" on 8 May 2009. The purpose of this Action Plan is to identify those policies and measures that have the potential to contribute towards the Government's national energy efficiency target of 20% energy savings across the economy by 2020. The Plan sets out details of 90 actions that Government is either taking now or is planning to implement in the next year or two to reach our target. These are concrete actions adopted by Government and not recommendations.

The Action Plan sets out in Chapter 12 a timetable for all 90 actions. This indicates that some 81 of the 90 actions in the Plan are either already being implemented or their implementation will commence no later than 2009.

According to Sustainable Energy Ireland's (SEI) recently published 2009 report "Energy Efficiency in Ireland", energy usage in the services sector has been growing in recent years, increasing by 53% between 1995 and 2007. This reflects the increasing importance of this sector in the Irish economy and the growth in enterprise in the area. By contrast, the energy intensity of the services sector decreased by 31% over the same period, a positive development indicating the increased added value in the sector. This improvement in the energy intensity of the services sector would have been even greater, but for the intensity of electricity use which increased over the period.

Electricity use per employee was 27% higher in 2007 than in 1995. By contrast, fuel consumption per employee decreased by 38% over the period. These figures suggest that growth in energy use in the services sector has in recent years been primarily led by growth in electricity usage. This is probably explained by increased use of office equipment, computers, servers and related equipment, as well as traditional high electricity usage functions such as lighting. This makes electricity usage in the services sector of increasing importance to Government in designing its energy efficiency programmes for business.

I have made available some €4 million to SEI in 2009 for energy advice and support services for the business and public sectors. A further €6.5 million is also available for grant aid to specific energy efficiency projects in the business and public sectors.

SEI has placed a particular emphasis on the services sector in the expansion of its advice and support programmes for business and in particular to SMEs. In the past year, SEI has provided direct advice and support to over 1,000 firms, the majority of these in the services sector.

SEI is also focusing on the key energy using technologies in the sector, for example ICT and lighting and has conducted nationwide road shows to showcase energy savings available to business from using lighting more efficiently and using more efficient lighting.

SEI will continue to expand its work with the services sector, both private and public, to drive efficiency gains and build on the successes to date.