Brendan Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will engage with existing energy suppliers with a view to coming up with a national scheme for State funded schools in order to cut energy costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44790/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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As part of the Better Energy Programme energy suppliers have agreed voluntary agreements with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in the delivery of their energy saving targets for 2012. While overall education policy is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, I would encourage schools to approach and actively engage with their energy suppliers to identify suitable projects which would realise energy savings and thereby reduce their energy consumption costs.

The public sector is conservatively estimated to spend more than €500 million per annum on energy. Achieving the 33% savings target for the public sector would save €150 million each year in expenditure. This Government remains firmly committed to meeting this target. This year SEAI has targeted the top 135 public bodies, which account for over 95% of public sector energy consumption. These organisations will submit detailed energy and activity data to SEAI. From this data detailed progress scorecards will be produced for each organisation. From 2013 on, an SEAI online energy data system will facilitate all public bodies including schools to report their energy data and allow SEAI to prepare detailed scorecards for all public bodies.