Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 567: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps he has taken to reach energy savings of 33% in public buildings; the measures in place to reach these targets; if he will provide the level of energy savings that has been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31164/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) sets out 90 actions that Government is either already taking or will take in the period to 2020 to achieve the national energy efficiency targets of 20% across the economy and 33% in the public sector. The savings identified in the Action Plan represent approximately €1.6 billion in avoided energy costs for the economy in 2020. There is a requirement in the Energy Services Directive that all Member States must submit their second NEEAPs to the Commission in 2011 and progress on savings made will be reported then.

In the public sector, the most significant cost-cutting and energy saving potential lies in improving the energy performance requirements of new buildings, improvement of existing buildings, encouraging more public bodies to actively address their energy use and to use the most energy efficient plant, machinery and equipment. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's Public Sector Programme aims to stimulate the application of improved energy efficiency design strategies, technologies and services in public sector construction and retrofit projects, acting both as an exemplar for good practice and as a demand leader for the services and technologies involved. In 2009, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) delivered a €5 million programme that provided grant assistance to the business and public sectors. The programme supported energy efficiency measures for businesses and institutions across the country. Over 74 projects were funded under the programme. As a result of the work carried out, annual energy savings worth €2.6 million and 12kt CO2 were achieved.

Building on this success, SEAI last month launched the €10 million Energy Efficiency Retrofit Fund and applications are now being invited from businesses and public sector bodies. The fund will support exemplar projects in 2010 which achieve significant and verifiable energy savings and provide key learnings for other businesses and public sector bodies.

SEAI also runs a support programme providing energy assessments and training to local authorities and other public sector agencies. This resulted in savings worth between €1.2M and €1.8M in 2009. A range of best practice guides were also developed and an energy efficiency design process initiated to incorporate energy efficiency principles into the design of new or retrofitted public sector services.

SEAI is also developing a Partnership Programme for engaging public sector organisations at the highest levels. This enables large energy using public sector organisations to take a strategic approach to achieving the 2020 targets. Regulations introduced in December 2009 require all public bodies to include, in its annual reports published after January 1st next year, a statement describing the actions it is taking to improve its energy efficiency, together with an assessment of the energy savings arising from those actions. SEAI is already assisting public sector bodies in the development of 2020 energy efficiency strategies and early partners include An Garda Síochána, the Railway Procurement Agency, the Irish Prison Service, Local Authorities, and Bus Éireann.

Regulations setting out new energy efficient public procurement rules have been submitted to the European Commission for approval and subject to any comments received will be enacted in September. These new rules will require public bodies to purchase or lease only plant and equipment across a diverse range of technologies that are listed on SEAI's database of highly energy efficient products. This database has already been developed as part of the Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) Scheme for energy efficient technologies.

SEAI is also required under the regulations to produce general guidelines on energy efficient procurement and these will be progressed in conjunction with the National Procurement Service and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

In compliance with the 2006 and 2008 Building Regulations, it is the policy of Office of Public Works (OPW) to conduct feasibility studies on the utilisation of renewable energy technologies in all new buildings over 1,000m2 as part of the design process. The OPW has already installed a number of biomass boiler systems and Solar Panel systems in both new and existing buildings where it has been shown to be both technically and economically feasible. OPW will continue to take this approach.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has recently prioritised work through the statutory Building Regulations Advisory Board to establish achievable targets for reductions in primary energy and CO2 emissions for buildings in all sectors of the economy including public sector buildings, with a view to upgrading the requirements in Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Energy) of the Building Regulations in 2010. The work programme currently under way will inform the development of a programme for continuous improvement in Part L requirements in coming years with a view to achieving a Carbon Neutral building standard for buildings other than dwellings, including civic buildings, by 2016.