ESB, official energy partner to the GAA, assisted GAA Clubs around the country to save an estimated average of €9,000 per annum on their energy bills.
ESB, Official Energy Partner to the GAA, today (13th January 2015) teamed up with Mayo Footballer Aidan O’Shea and Cork Hurler Aidan Walsh to reveal the results of the ESB “EnergyFit” programme in association with FutureFit. The programme, which began in 2014, is estimated to have delivered an average saving of €9,026 per annum to each of the participating GAA clubs.
Operated in conjunction with FutureFit, ESB worked closely with the Irish energy efficiency company to refine the programme. Along with the SEAI and GAA, ESB also provided funding to each club that successfully completed the BEC process.
Paddy Hayes, Executive Director of Generation and Wholesale Markets at ESB remarked “As Ireland’s premier electricity utility, we are delighted to be a part of this pioneering energy efficiency programme within the sports industry. ESB prides itself on driving innovation in the energy sector and enhancing the communities in which we work, so our goal was to provide the participating GAA clubs with the latest tools and resources to generate real energy savings which in turn can be reinvested in club development. GAA clubs are the heart of so many Irish communities and we look forward to continuing our work with them over the coming months.”
14 GAA clubs from around the country are currently on track to complete the EnergyFit process in 2015. Separated into two key areas; EnergyFit and RetroFit, the programme delivers tangible return on investment through behavioural education and physical thermal and electrical upgrading including insulation and lighting solutions.
Following a full energy audit, the first stage of the programme is EnergyFit training. This process provides education on energy awareness and how to implement behavioural changes. FutureFit estimates that a club can make an average saving of 10% per annum just by making small changes to the way it manages its energy usage. Such changes include optimising boiler/heating timers, developing checklists for staff and regular maintenance of equipment.
The second stage of the programme is RetroFit in which the club invests in physical upgrades to thermal and electrical equipment. The investment can be as little as switching to LED light bulbs or as large as replacing entire floodlighting systems. Significant reductions can also be made through investment in areas such as insulation, refrigeration, solar thermal, window and boiler efficiency.
To date, nine of the 14 clubs have completed the training stage of the programme and begun the RetroFit process. The estimated average saving in Year 1 is projected at €6,365 with the largest individual club achieving savings of €23,247. FutureFit estimates that the total combined savings for those nine clubs after Year 1 will be €81,235 with the majority of clubs seeing a return on their investment within two to three years.
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