07/03/2022 - Major renewable energy retrofit project to Letterkenny PSC

 Pictured at the Letterkenny Public Services Centre are front (LtoR): Cllr. Jack Murray, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh, Letterkenny MD Mayor. Rear (LtoR):  John McLaughlin (Chief Executive), Paul Duddy (Building Supervisor) Patsy Lafferty (Director of Service), Peadar Espey (Facilities Manager)

Donegal County Council has recently completed a major renewable energy retrofit project to Letterkenny Public Services Centre. The Council has installed;

·         5no.  42.6 kW air-source heat pumps to replace our oil boilers

·         20no. photo-voltaic solar panels to generate 6 kW of electricity

·         pumped cavity bead insulation to 762m² of external walls

·         new efficient heating controls and upgrades to the building management system

·         live smart monitoring equipment for the electrical generation and heat pumps consumption

Peadar Espey, Facilities Manager and Energy Performance Officer notes “the aim of this energy retrofit project was to make a significant practical energy upgrade, removing the dependency on fossil fuel as a space heating source. This project aligns Donegal County Council’s energy policy with the policies of our national Climate Action Plan 2021 and builds on last year’s energy retrofit works at Milford Public Service Centre”.

This project delivers on the excellent work Donegal County Council has achieved at these public offices over the last four years. A list of completed energy efficient and sustainable biodiversity projects are listed below. 

·         2018: Project - full internal and external LED lighting upgrades

·         2019: Project - 4no. electric vehicle charging points

·         2020: Project - sedum roof regeneration through pollination. 35,000 native Irish honeybees

·         2021: Project - phase 1 glazing replacement

·         2021: Project - Letterkenny Public Services Centre - Major Renewable Energy Retrofit

International Standard

Donegal County Council was recently certified to the International Standard for Energy Management – ISO 50001:2018 and continues to deliver improvements in energy use, carbon emissions and cost using this framework. This helps the authority to deliver on its own internal energy saving targets as well as the national public sector targets of 50% energy efficiency improvement by 2030 (Baseline 2009) and 51% reduction in absolute tonnage GHG (CO₂eq) by 2030 (Baseline 2016-2018) under the Climate Action Plan 2021.

Peadar Espey, Facilities Manager and Energy Performance Officer notes “the project has eliminated approx. 54 tonne of carbon per annum with the removal of our oil boilers and generates approx. 5,000kWh per annum through the installed photo-voltaic solar array.  

National Recognition – ICE Awards 2022

This renewable energy retrofit project was submitted by Donegal County Council in the Irish Construction Excellence Awards 2022 under the Public Buildings category. The Council is delighted to confirm the project has been shortlisted for the final with the outcome to be determined at the gala event in the National Convention Centre on the 14^th May. Watch our project video here. https://youtu.be/Q_iZfSIHASg

Patsy Lafferty, Director of Service said “Donegal County Council are delighted to have such an important energy project recognised for its construction excellence. A lot of hard work and planning has gone into the various energy efficient and sustainable projects at the building over the last four years. I wish to thank all staff involved, senior management team and our Elected Members for their support in making projects like these feasible”.