Housing 4.0 Energy Updates

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News from the three Irish pilots

The Ireland pilot of H4.0E will be located in South East of Ireland (Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford), with each region committing to the delivery of four zero energy homes (ZEHs) each — twelve in total. This pilot will develop and utilise digitisation, 4.0 technology and integrate renewable energies.

The main construction principles will be prefabricated Timber Frame and Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF) with the aim to use renewable building materials. Innovative technologies for sourcing renewable energy will be Air to Water Heat Pumps, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), PV and Thermal Solar Panels. Local Authority Social Housing tenants are the intended end users, with the aim of addressing fuel poverty.

At the moment all three pilots are roughly at the same stage, but there are different completion dates, as there are different buildings types and therefore the planning process differs from each other. All pilots have planning permission and are currently at pro-curement for final design teams. This process has tak-en longer than normal due to the additional targets and standards being addressed in the H4.0 project, which is over and above the standard requirements of the Local Authorities.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis there will be delays in completion. This will have influence on the timeline and deadlines, therefore the timeline will be subject to change. The current timeline for Substantial Comple-tion is that Wexford to be completed in May 2022, Carlow in the first quarter of 2021 and Kilkenny in the first quarter of 2022. This pilots will also be monitored for the uptake of low carbon and digital techniques, products, processes and services and the resulting reduction in embodied and operational energy.

 

Just launched! Introducing the new 3cea Website

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3cea are delighted to announce the launch of our new website. Our new website is intended to provide support and assistance across all sectors for professionals, SMEs, local authorities, wider communities and homeowners to aggregate energy projects and deliver a low carbon region by 2030. Using less energy and using clean renewable energy are key to meeting our energy targets. As a trusted intermediary, our expertise and experience in the energy space will help you reduce your energy consumption and carbon emissions within the region.

Whatever the project may be, 3cea’s One Stop Shop model provides a single point of contact for the entire journey. Our promise is to offer our experience and partnership and to work with you to achieve your energy goal.

The new site provides useful information about:

  • Grants and funding supports available
  • Project examples with enhanced visuals across the main sectors we operate
  • Case Studies – Practical examples for organisations, homeowners and businesses in different sectors can range from conducting an Energy Audit to Retrofitting your home.
  • Information on energy efficiency & renewable energy support schemes
  • Events calendar – upcoming Webinars, Workshops and Conferences
  • Innovation – we are proud to be involved in major EU projects and have demonstrated success in accessing EU Funding Programmes
  • Advanced Feedback hub – we encourage people to reach out to us

Paddy Phelan, CEO in 3cea says: “We want to inspire people to take action and tackle climate change. Working in partnership with our members, we will continue to create sustainable, green jobs, more sustainable food production options, deepen our energy security, improve the quality of our lives and make our working and built environments healthier for the South East Region of Ireland. It has taken considerable effort and vision since 2002 to get us to where we are today, ready for the next level of challenges that lie between here and 2030 and the EU policy to be carbon neutral by 2050.”

Read more

EUCF Webinar for Irish Local Authorities

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The EUCF Webinar successfully introduced the sustainable energy initiative to representatives from Local Authorities across the country

On Monday the 22nd June, 3cea in collaboration with Tipperary Energy Agency, hosted the EUCF Webinar for Irish Local Authorities interested in the European City Facility Initiative. The EUCF initiative is open for applicants and provides €60,000 for successful investment concepts for sustainable energy projects.

Local Authorities from across Ireland were invited to attend this webinar which Siona Daly, Ireland Country Expert, described the application process for interested parties in the EUCF initiative. 3cea were tasked with organising the webinar as the National Network for the EUCF.

The webinar was attended by almost all Local Authority representatives in the country, a highly successful turnout for what will be the first edition in the EUCF Webinar series.

The webinar was also recorded for any representatives who could not attend the online event.

Find out more information on the EUCF Initiative here.

To get advice on applying for the EUCF initiative, please contact Siona at siona@tippenergy.ie or Patrick at events@3cea.ie.

 

Housing 4.0 Energy Supply Chain Workshop

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3cea will host a Housing 4.0 Workshop tailored for Suppliers, Manufacturers, Construction and Engineering Companies, Architects, Designers and other Industry Experts.

On Wednesday the 8th July, 3cea will be hosting a supply chain workshop which will discuss the Housing 4.0 Energy European project. With the help of industry experts across various sectors, the workshop will encourage participants to come together to share their knowledge and explore the aspects of sustainable energy solutions, building techniques, low carbon construction materials, sustainable manufacturing and supply chain.

In the Irish context, 3 Counties Energy Agency have teamed up with Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford County Councils who have committed to deliver 12 Zero Energy Homes in the South East region by 2021. The focus will be on delivering a sustainable and affordable housing model which can be replicated for future use across all Local Authorities in Ireland. The project will introduce a shift in the form of modern and innovative construction techniques, technologies, materials and processes used for building new homes.

The aim of this Workshop is to introduce the Housing 4.0 Energy Irish pilot and the Digital Platform that is currently being developed for suppliers, manufacturers, architects, developers, designers of modular build houses and for other industry experts to use. A group discussion will be held on how the project can be enhanced to achieve long-term sustainability and engagement within the industry. The intention is to create knowledge sharing networks between industry experts and allow better understanding of the project goals, understand and explain how the Digital Platform can work for you and what improvements can be made to improve the system and supply chain.

One of the main outcomes of the project is a Digital Platform that will help future builders and industry experts to optimise house designs used in these pilots. The platform will allow parametric models of the pilot technologies to be created, so that the cost of subsequently replicating each design can be radically reduced. This platform will also be able to take datasets and link these to the parametric models to support future optimisation and ultimately reduce building costs by 25% and CO² emissions by 60%. Additionally, an operational and embodied energy/CO² calculation tool will be integrated into the digital platform to help identify how much energy is being used by a given design tested within the project.

Alex Hamilton and Ralf Kampe of 3cea will host the Workshop on the 8th of July 2020. The Workshop will begin at 9:30am and will involve 6 supplier presentations with a virtual round table discussion to conclude.

Date & Time: Wednesday, 8th July 2020 from 9:30am-11:00am (Irish Summer Time)
Click Here to Register

Agenda:
-Welcome Address and Introductions
-Introduction: What is Housing 4.0 Energy?
-Guest Presentations (max 10 minutes per presentation)

1) Digitization of construction, John Whyte, BREgroup, research and advisory services
2) Mass timber building, design, supply chain, Merritt Bucholz, BMCEA, Architect/Designer
3) TF systems and supply, James Mason, TTCF, Timber Frame suppliers
4) TF systems and supply, Paul Glavin, Glavloc® Building Technology, Timber Frame suppliers
5) Modular homes standard, David, Gall, BREgroup, research and advisory services
6) Building material supplier, Joe Fitzgerald, Ecologicalbuildingsystems, low carbon material supplier
7) GGBS concrete and ICF, Susan Mc Garry, Ecocem, technical aspects of GGBS concrete and ICF, embodied CO2

-Virtual round table discussion on how the project can be enhanced and the long-term sustainability & engagement within the industry
-Q&A and Close

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Workshop.

We look forward to your participation.

For any queries please contact Mari or Patrick on events@3cea.ie

3cea delighted to join the Irish Energy Storage Association

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3cea have recently become members of the Irish Energy Storage Association (IESA).

The purpose and role of the Association is to represent and lobby on behalf of parties in the energy storage space across a whole range of applications including the provision of system services, exploitation of arbitrage opportunities in the energy sector and maximisation of the benefits of renewable energy on the island of Ireland. This would involve a wide range of technologies including batteries, flywheels, super capacitors, hydroelectric, compressed air and thermal storage. Read more

remote energy audits

What Makes an Effective Remote Energy Audit?

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Remote Energy Audits & Glenmalure Sustainable Energy Community

Under the current restrictions and HSE guidelines, 3cea have had to get creative to continue with business as usual. One novel idea developed by the energy engineering team took on the concept of remote energy audits where 3cea staff could work collaboratively with homeowners to complete online surveys. This idea was undertaken as part of the Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) project in Glenmalure, Co. Wicklow where several domestic and commercial audits were already complete in the Energy Master Plan before the lockdown, however, a number of these were still outstanding.

As a team, the energy engineers here in 3cea developed an online survey with specific energy questions for both domestic homes and non-domestic buildings. Adapting to the situation and deciding on the remote audit idea, the 3cea team contacted the 6 remaining homeowners and pitched the idea of a remote energy audit for their homes. The homeowners were delighted to continue with the progression of their SEC project and agreed to participate. They welcomed the sense of community spirit within this collaborative project, the first time such a project would be conducted since 3cea was established.

The process involved in the remote energy audit project required serious thought into what the desired outcome was to achieve, while also considering how each homeowner would be comfortable and ultimately efficient in conducting the measurements. To begin with, a blank survey was sent to each homeowner with specific questions about their house which included the building fabric, the heating system, the type of lighting, the measurement of walls, windows, and the overall area of the home.

Homeowner taking measurements

Following the survey, homeowners were asked to take a photo of each facade of their home and provide the drawings of the house. The final step of the process asked the homeowners to send the completed survey, photos and drawings to our energy engineers who then conducted the energy audit. At times it was necessary to get in touch with the homeowner through email or over the phone to confirm vital pieces of information, which to our benefit, the homeowners had no problem answering.

House drawings with measurements

After receiving the details and conducting the energy audit, the technical team were able to analyse the data and develop a two-page energy report for each house. The seamless interaction between the energy engineers and the homeowners was a real eye-opening moment as it raised the questions of what the future of energy auditing could look like. Using online tools and out of the box thinking, a practical and well-designed solution was possible, introducing an exciting prospect for future collaboration.

3cea would like to thank the homeowners in the Glenmalure SEC project for their patience and cooperation throughout the process. The level of understanding from the homeowners made the development of this innovative project a great success and one in which we hope to build on going forward.

Have a look at our community page to learn more about our community projects.

According to SEAI, an Energy Audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for identification of energy savings opportunities in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system, without negatively affecting the output(s).

Looking for a quote for a remote energy audit?

We would love to hear from you, fill out a short form and a member of our team will be in contact.

Contact Us

Green For Micro Programme

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Micro Businesses to Cut Emissions and Save Energy through New Programme

Businesses in the South East are being offered a chance to cut their emissions and ultimately save on their energy costs through a new scheme, the Green For Micro Programme.

The programme is aimed at manufacturing businesses with fewer than ten employees. It is an Enterprise Ireland scheme in order to aid businesses with their transition to becoming a low carbon business. The Green For Micro Programme is a pilot scheme, which if successful, may be rolled out nationally.

The Green For Micro Programme is a hands-on project which incorporates the five Local Enterprise Offices in the region; Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford and Tipperary. In collaboration with each of the LEOs, 3 Counties Energy Agency (3cea) will provide guidance throughout the Green For Micro process.

3cea will act as a mentor for the micro businesses. The engineers in 3cea will audit the micro businesses’ energy, waste, water, procurement and transport outputs, while outlining how to transition to more environmentally-friendly choices.

Enterprise Ireland regional executive Brian Fives said micro businesses across the region are eager to play their part in developing a low-carbon economy.

“Green For Micro shows them the way. Auditing their energy consumption, mapping the results and monitoring their transition will provide an invaluable insight into how every enterprise can play its part in Ireland meeting its 2030 climate targets,” said Mr Fives.

Engineer with 3cea, Shane Faulkner, said each participating business will be given up to nine days of expert help including audits, reports and mentoring.

“The level of buy-in from manufacturers in the region is extremely encouraging and we are really looking forward to playing our part,” said Mr Faulkner.

Phase One

Phase one of the Green For Micro Programme involved a number of Breakfast Briefing Events which have been implemented to explain the programme to businesses in the region.

Aileen McGrath of Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office urged qualifying micro-businesses to attend the no obligation breakfast briefing, pick up an expression of interest form and see how small changes in their manufacturing processes and general business decisions can make a difference.

“While our primary target is manufacturing, micro enterprises in other sectors may also qualify and we encourage them to attend,” said McGrath.

The first of the Green For Micro Breakfast Briefing Events started on Tuesday 28th January, at the Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford. Two speakers, Philip Kehoe of Kehoe’s Potatoes and Nicholas Dunne of Killowen Farm, presented on the day to speak about their transition to becoming a low carbon business in the area.

The second of the Breakfast Briefings ran in the Tower Hotel in Waterford on 11th February. John Flahavan of Flahavan’s and Kevin Jephson from Ardkeen Quality Food Stores presented on their energy savings for their green choices.

Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny was the venue for the third installation of the Breakfast Briefings on 13th February. Rory Williams from Countrystyle Foods spoke to the audience about their greener company model, while Trudie Power of Trudies Kitchen also presented on the benefits of such environmentally-friendly focused decisions.

Jane Wickham (3CEA), Aileen McGrath (Senior Enterprise Development Officer) and Trudie Power (Trudies Kitchen) PICTURE: Vicky Comerford

The Anner Hotel in Tipperary on 18th February was the penultimate Breakfast Briefing Event where Con Traas from The Apple Farm gave a video presentation, with Ger Crosse of Wood Energy Solutions presenting on his biomass heating system in Philip Fryday’s Clune Mushroom Farm.

The concluding Breakfast Briefing Event took place in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel in Carlow on 20th February. Mary White of Blackstairs Eco Trails spoke first to the audience on the importance of sustainability in the Carlow region. She was then followed by Ray Flynn of Flynn’s Foodhall.

Jane Wickham of 3cea presented at each of the five Green For Micro Breakfast Briefing Events about the grants and supports, which 3cea will provide, to all interested parties in entering Phase Two of the Green For Micro Programme.

Phase Two

Phase two of the programme will involve the energy audits, conducted by 3cea, which will be carried out on ten micro, manufacturing businesses. Two micro businesses in each of the five participating counties will be chosen to proceed into this stage of the programme. At present, there is quite a number of interested parties. A welcoming sign that local enterprises in our area are thinking about a greener future.

Unfortunately, phase two of the Green For Micro Programme is currently on hold due to the Covid-19 Pandemic sweeping the country. A resumption date is yet to be decided on, however, applications are still being processed.

In phase three of the programme, the findings from the energy audits will be showcased at a regional conference. Finally, the concluding phase involves the installation of monitoring equipment in the selected micro businesses.

The Green for Micro Programme is one of three projects grant-aided to the tune of €345,000 by the Government and led by Local Enterprise Offices across the region.

For more information on on The Green For Micro Programme, please contact us on events@3cea.ie

 

Energy Co-operatives Ireland funded by Galway County Council for a smart audit scheme by 3cea

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Energy Co-operatives Ireland (ECI) were funded by the Climate Action Support Scheme of Galway County Council for what they considered to be a valuable set of audits showing householders of various house types where to carry out energy improvements. ECI worked with their preferred energy auditor (3cea) who carried out the energy audits of 11 different types of houses, offering the best solutions relating to costed measures and the continued improvement of the home’s energy rating.

Read more

Kilkenny County Council 2020 Grants Booklet

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One Stop Shop for Grants

As part of Kilkenny County Councils strategy to improve how to communicate grants available from the various departments, they have developed a one stop shop for grants here. Click on the link below to see the available grants to Community groups & individuals in Kilkenny for activities relating to Heritage, Housing, Environment, Culture Arts and community related activities.

This grant booklet summarises the key elements of Kilkenny County Council and other National Community Grants. It informs community groups of funding streams available to carry out and complete various types of community activities and projects in their neighbourhoods.

Update from 3cea during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Statement from 3cea, 18th March 2020

Dear all,

3cea is aware that the evolving situation in relation to Coronavirus COVID-19 is having a very real impact on the day-to-day work of many.  We wanted to take this opportunity to update you on how we are approaching our service provision for you.

3cea’s approach has been to adhere to the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and the Department, and we will continue to pursue this policy. We would like to assure you that we are also putting in place our own measures to ensure continuity of service to our clients, beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Our services are continuing to operate – most of our team are set up to work remotely from home and will be available to answer any queries that you may have over the phone or email. We will address the concerns you have raised with us as on an ongoing basis and update you as the situation develops.

We are continuing with a reduced capacity to facilitate site visits. However, we expect this to be reduced even further on a practical basis over the coming days and weeks as further restrictions are put in place.

We appreciate your continued support within the restrictions being placed on us all to provide you with the highest level of service possible.

Once more, please take the steps you need in order to keep yourself, your families and your community safe.

Sincerely,

Paddy Phelan

CEO of 3 Counties Energy Agency

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For health information and advice, read HSE webpage on coronavirus.