Portershed Tuesday 10th Feb 7:00pm

 Attendance free but booking advisable (Eventrbite booking link here).

The event will offer practical guidance to homeowners and community groups beginning their home energy renovation journey. The Event is a launch of the Citizen Led Renovation Enablers programme which helps mentor Communities to do Energy Retrofit and build capacity.

The topics to be covered include:

1. SEAI's Sustainable Energy Communities, from SEAI's Communities Programme Manager who will also cover the new SEAI improved grants.
2. Community success stories from Galway and Tipperary and how Ecovision is going to enable Galway to go beyond existing work in Community Retrofit.
3. Energy Tariffs and Energy Switching expertise. 
4. Derelict Homes and Vacant Property Grants
5. Healthy Age Friendly Homes and a details of a new Pilot to help over 10 thousand older people in the next 6 months to achieve a B2 energy rating.

The public will also be provided with information to take away on many of the topics covered.
Further details are provided on the press release below.

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Ecovision and Galway Energy Cooperative Launch Community-Led Home Renovation Initiative

Ecovision, in partnership with the Galway Energy Cooperative, has launched a new community-led initiative designed to empower residents to take an active role in upgrading the energy efficiency of their homes.

The project launch and first community workshop will take place on Tuesday, 10 February at 7:00pm in the PorterShed, Galway City. The free event will offer practical guidance to homeowners and community groups beginning their home energy renovation journey. While open to all residents of Galway City and County, advance booking is recommended.

The event marks the introduction of Citizen-Led Renovation (CLR), an EU-wide initiative that supports communities to play a central role in the energy transition through shared knowledge, mentoring, and local action.

Guest speakers include:

• John Flynn, Programme Manager, SEAI Better Energy Communities, who will outline how Sustainable Energy Communities can benefit from coordinated home energy upgrades and economies of scale through local organisations.
• Carmel Manfredi, Healthy Age Friendly Ireland, speaking on Housing Aid for Older People (Over 66s) and the role of local authorities.
• Máirtín Ó Méalóid, Project Manager with Ecovision Tipperary, on capacity building and EU-funded mentoring to support Citizen-Led Renovation.
• Kieran Cunnane, Galway Energy Cooperative, on community mentoring, SEAI grants and changes, and the cooperative’s role in supporting retrofit projects.
• The Climate Action Teams from Galway City and County Councils have also been invited to attend.

The workshop will provide practical information on how communities can collaboratively plan and deliver energy renovation projects. The public will have information to take away via Information packs on the topics covered and includes considerations before buying, finance and energy efficiency.

A key focus of the initiative is supporting a Just Transition, with particular attention to fuel poverty and the needs of more vulnerable households. By mobilising communities, the project aims to improve energy security, reduce costs, and increase comfort in homes across Galway.

“Whether it’s achieving economies of scale through community grant applications, upgrading derelict properties, addressing fuel poverty among older residents, or understanding financing options, this event covers a wide range of practical issues,” said Kieran Cunnane, Project Coordinator with Galway Energy Cooperative.
Máirtín Ó Méalóid added that the CLR programme mentors local organisations including Galway Energy Co Operative to support the public through their retrofit journey, including identifying homes suitable for funded energy assessments.

Attendees will learn about the benefits of citizen-led renovation, hear real-world examples, and gain clear next steps for starting energy-saving projects in their own communities—helping to make homes in Galway warmer, more affordable to run, and more sustainable.

Booking details:
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1981589847577 

Find out how you can own your own energy, form an energy community, have a say in energy policy, and contribute to Irish energy independence.

Galway Energy co Operative is running a public event in the Portershed on 26th Nov at 7PM.  Details in the attached poster.  

Attendance is free but space is limited.  Complete your booking on the following Eventbrite Link.

Energy is all around us in the wind, sun, air, earth, and water yet we must pay ever increasing prices to large national utility companies and even larger international fossil fuel suppliers for the energy we use. Now, as never before, with changes in the technology and economics of energy, it is possible for individual citizens and community groups to invest in energy projects to save money and even to receive a return on energy investments. Whether its solar, bio, hydro, hydrogen, tidal, wave, or storage the opportunities abound. In this interactive event we will provide a broad overview of the opportunities in each of these areas then work in groups to create ideas for mini and maxi community energy projects. We will conclude the workshop with an exploration of how these ideas can be financed and realised.

We are running two Meet the Expert Events in Renmore on 20th Oct and Westside on 11 Nov.  The events are intended for anyone living in Galway City.  Additional to these, we are also running Drop-In-Clinics in Renmore and Westside in October and November. More to follow.

The heating and energy efficiency of traditional and older homes can be challenging. Joe Fitzgerald of Ecological Buildings Systems Ltd. will be in the Shantalla area on Thursday January 22^nd 2025 to meet with households living in traditional homes (i.e. pre-1945 single leaf stone, brick or concrete construction) and can offer guidance on insulation, insulation products and draughtproofing. Joe has been invited to Shantalla by the Warm Home Hub team who are promoting energy efficiency and home energy upgrades in the area, through the EU NetZeroCities project. Many of the homes in Shantalla were built in the 1940s and these face unique challenges when heating their home.

Joe Fitzgerald will be in the Shantalla Community Centre from 1 pm to 2.30 pm on Thursday January 22^nd 2025. If you are living in an older home and have questions about how you can make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient, come along and meet the warm Home hub team.

EU NetZeroCities Interview including Kieran Cunnane from the Galway Energy Co Operative, manager of the Warm Home Hub in Westside.

Article linked here.

https://netzerocities.eu/2024/08/12/galways-westside-gains-ground-for-net-zero-goals/

In a significant stride towards sustainable energy practices, the Galway Energy Co-operative (GEC) is poised to reveal its comprehensive Energy Master Plan at the Westside Resource Centre on Thursday, November 30th, at 7 pm.

Galway Energy Co-operative warmly welcomes the householders, local businesses and community organisations who participated in the energy audits. The broader community is also encouraged to attend and be part of this transformative initiative. The organisers GEC extend their gratitude to Galway City Council for its role in administering the plan and acknowledge their valuable support.

Geographically, the plan spans a substantial section of Galway City, with a particular focus on the Westside Area, which is currently witnessing multiple climate and decarbonisation projects. The report provides critical statistics for the local area, identifying opportunities for energy-saving measures for households, community groups, and businesses alike. Notably, the event introduces the "Warm Home Hub" initiative created to guide individuals through every stage of their home retrofit journey. The hub is located within the Westside Resource Centre delivered by the Net Zero Cities project.

The master plan showcases the region's potential to reduce fossil fuel energy consumption by over 30% by 2030. This event explores opportunities to enhance and save costs on fossil fuel heating, projecting a significant reduction in average household energy spending, ranging from 20% to a potentially transformative 50%. Going beyond individual households, the Energy Master Plan extends its reach to various sectors, including retail, offices, restaurants, pubs, hotels, warehouses, workshops/maintenance depots, industrial process buildings, community/day centres, schools and colleges, and sports facilities.

In addition to emphasizing financial savings, the unveiling outlines various retrofit measures, including support and grants available including community energy grants. The plan goes further, delineating low-cost or no-cost actions that, when combined, have the potential to achieve approximately 50% reductions in household energy expenditure.

The Galway Energy Co-operative is excited to host Energy Co-operatives Ireland, the architects of this impactful plan. Their presentation promises to illuminate numerous opportunities for the people of Galway, local organisations, and businesses to actively contribute to environmental preservation while simultaneously realising substantial cost savings.  All are invited to attend, learn how to potentially halve energy bills, and explore energy-saving alternatives with experts available to discuss retrofit plans using grants currently available from SEAI.

Join us on November 30th at 7 pm at the Westside Resource Centre for a glimpse into a more sustainable and cost-efficient energy future.

Are you an SME offering energy storage solutions and are you thinking about entering the Dutch, Belgian, German, UK or Irish market? Or are you interested in the opportunities that entering a foreign market could offer for your business? Then these webinars are for you!

The flyer and the link to sign up is at: https://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/steps-storage-of-energy-power-systems-in-nwe/news/5-steps-webinars-how-to-enter-the-energy-market/

The STEPS project offers a series of webinars in the coming weeks about entering new markets! Are you thinking about entering the Dutch, Belgian, German, UK or Irish market? Or are you interested in the opportunities that entering a foreign market could offer for your business? Or curious what new insights there are in the market you are operating in?

The series consists of 5 webinars. Each of the webinars zooms in on the local energy market of that country, shows the chances and opportunities for new businesses, and gives the opportunities to ask questions to local experts and other SMEs.
Interested? Check the date and time for the webinar of your interest on the flyer below and sign up via the QR code or the STEPS website.Here you can also find an informational slide deck for each of the countries that give additional information about the local energy market and opportunities.
You can also find additional details on LinkedIn and Twitter

Read about how Voltfang, an SME based in Germany, are being supported by energy storage experts through the STEPSNWE EU project in this interview

We are coordinating an Energy Master Plan (EMP) for Galway city. Our Request for Quotations was successful and the selected contractors are preparing the plan presently. The document will be launched when it’s complete, containing actions and recommendations for all sectors to reduce energy use and emissions. Keep an eye out here and on our social media accounts for news as it happens (facebook, twitter, linkedin).

This will be the first EMP that will fall into a community fund application with SEAI, who we are grateful to for financing the EMP.

We joined forces with Medtronic and Glas to successfully install 11.5kW solar PV system at their facilities, with another 400kW planned!