Warmer winters on the way for New Ross Town and South Wexford homes thanks to €150,000 energy efficiency upgrade

Over 80 families in New Ross Town and South Wexford are looking forward to warmer winters, significantly reduced energy bills and lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. That’s as a result of a major new €150,000 loft insulation upgrade to be undertaken through a partnership between energy utility SSE Airtricity, New Ross Town Council and Wexford County Council.

The energy-efficiency retrofit project, which will commence in the coming weeks and be completed for Christmas will result in heat-loss reduction and energy-use reduction measures being completed by Airtricity Energy Services in 86 homes owned by New Ross Town Council and Wexford County Council.

This major retrofit project is being made possible by funding of €75,000 from SSE Airtricity under its national Community Fund programme, along with matching €75,000 funding from New Ross Town Council and Wexford County Council. SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s second largest energy provider, is a major investor and employer in Co. Wexford at both its Great Island Power Station and at its Richfield Wind Farm.

Under the scheme homes in JKL, Charlton Hill, Assumption Terrace and other estates in New Ross Town will benefit. Likewise housing schemes in Fethard, Duncormick and other areas of Wexford County Council’s New Ross District will also benefit from this excellent scheme.

The loft insulation works in each of the homes will be undertaken by the specialist technicians at Airtricity Energy Services. The measures will result in annual thermal energy savings of 121,000kWh†, reducing heat loss in each of the homes by up to 10%.

As a result up to 1,300kWh in energy output which would have previously been required to heat each home each winter has been eliminated. This means an estimated average reduction in annual heating bills of €178* that can be achieved for each home – equivalent to a combined annual saving in heating costs for all 86 homes of around €15,000*.

Welcoming the project New Ross Town Council Cathaoirleach Councillor Niamh Fitzgibbon praised the efforts of the local authorities and SSE Airtricity in jointly advancing these much appreciated proposals“leading to much reduced carbon footprint and energy costs”.

Councillor Larry O’Brien representing the New Ross District who has been to the forefront in community gain projects arising from the input of SSE Airtricity in the region said “I expect over 300 people in total will be warmer over the winter and pay less for their heating when the work has been carried out”.

New Ross Town Council and Wexford Local Development are also currently upgrading 35 houses in the town bringing to over 120 houses in the town and district benefitting from home insulation projects with annual overall energy savings of approximately €21,000.

Councillor John Dwyer, a long term advocate of energy efficient retrofitting of the Council’s housing stock expressed his delight at the news. “This is great news for the hard pressed Council tenants of New Ross”.

Sarah Hoolahan, SSE Airtricity Community Development Manager, said the company is proud to partner with Wexford County Council and New Ross Town Council on this major project.“As an energy provider we believe in making energy better for the local communities in which we operate. Through this project we’ll be able to make a real difference to these 86 council-owned homes beside our Richfield Wind Farm and our Great Island Power Plant. As a result of the energy-efficiency improvement we will make, families in each of the homes will benefit from lower energy bills and significantly improved home comfort this winter. In addition, the improvements will ensure each home contributes significantly to the protection of the environment by using less energy.”

SSE operates the 240MW Great Island Power Station at Campile where it is also constructing a new 461MW clean gas-fired CCGT power station, due to be commissioned in 2014, which will replace the existing heavy fuel oil plant and will generate enough electricity to power around half a million homes. At Bridgetown SSE operates the 18 turbine 27MW Richfield Wind Farm which generates enough green energy to power around 13,000 homes.

† Thermal energy savings quoted based onSustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) estimates.

* Typical annual bill savings calculations based on Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) quoted kWh-reductions per standard home of 1300kWh for loft insulation against an average of SEAI-quoted typical annual bills for solid fuel and home heating oil of between €1878 and €1908 (based on typical annual heating consumption of 13,800kWh).