Limerick County Council Opens First Sustainable & Energy Efficient Local Authority Scheme

Limerick County Council has developed the 10-unit scheme, in conjunction and the Limerick/Clare Energy Agency.

‘Coillte Corran’ incorporates energy efficient designs with renewable energy technologies to achieve occupant comfort and maximum energy efficiency. The new scheme at Carrigkerry also aims to significantly reduce energy bills for householders through the use of solar panels, a wood pellet boiler, high quality roof insulation, cavity wall insulation and double-glazing.

"Coillte Corran represents the first batch of Local Authority Houses that Limerick County Council has constructed with environmental features such as solar panels and wood pellet stoves", explained Councillor Kevin Sheahan, Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council.

He added, "This new housing scheme proves that energy savings for householders and greatly reduced carbon emissions can be achieved by going that step further without incurring large additional costs. I wish all new tenants the very best in their new homes."

Councillor Tom Neville, Chair of Limerick County Council’s Housing Strategic Policy Group, explained that Limerick County Council was committed to playing a key role in implementing and maintaining high standards of energy performance on all new buildings.

According to Cllr. Neville, "In years to come, fossil fuels will no longer be cost effective and the restrictions on CO2 emissions will be prohibitive. A dramatic improvement of the energy performance of newly developed housings schemes is essential if we want to make any dent into our greenhouse gases emission and meet Ireland's Kyoto commitments. Limerick County Council will play its part in achieving this objective and in turn help reduce the county’s carbon levy and establish significant savings on energy bills for its tenants."

Mr. John Moloney, Housing Engineer, Limerick County Council, said the scheme had been completed with maximum energy efficiency in mind.

"Every Irish home spends an average 27% of its combined energy bills on water heating. The solar panels installed at Coillte Corran should provide approximately 70% of the water heating requirements each year. The modern pellet boilers that are installed will also offer tenants the warmth and comfort of wood heating while being highly efficient, clean burning and totally automatic, saving time and money", he commented.

Mr. Moloney said that the new houses contained numerous other energy efficient design features.

He continued. "The levels of insulation in the dwellings have exceeded the statutory requirements by approximately 20%. We have increased levels of insulation in floors, walls and roofs. All the dwellings have draught lobbies that will enable occupants to enter and exit the dwellings without the loss of existing heat inside the dwelling. Furthermore, the orientation of the dwelling on site, the internal layout of the dwelling and window orientation, can significantly affect the level of daylight within the dwelling and the impact of solar gain on internal temperature, Mr. Moloney concluded.

"All of these measures contribute greatly to sustainability and energy efficiency of the development. In addition these measures will lead to cost savings, while raising the level of comfort for the occupants of the housing unit", Mr. Moloney concluded.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:
- To arrange an interview please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or media@dunphypr.com
- High resolution images of tenants moving into their new homes at Coillte Corran are available on request.