Progress report on Energy Community project 'in new year'

The results of a survey undertaken for the Kilcullen Sustainable Energy Community project have been deferred until early next year, pending the inclusion of private housing in the analysis, writes Brian Byrne.

This was noted at last night's meeting of Kilcullen Community Action, held in the Heritage Centre. Eoin Houlihan said the consultants had audited five premises to date, two businesses and three community buildings. These are the Community Centre, the KCCEC building, Scoil Bhride, The Fountain Takeaway and Nolan's Butchers. "We decided to push for some private homes to be audited," Eoin told the meeting, the first in-person one since 2020, due to pandemic precautions.

The audit is part of the development of an Energy Plan for the town, and when completed the surveyed premises will be given details of how they can make energy savings, Ray Kelly noted. "The cost of making changes will be an issue in the long term," he said.

The Energy Plan will be designed to help homes, farms, community and business properties increase their energy efficiency and independence, as well as reduce the community's overall carbon emissions.

In March 2019 the Kilcullen Sustainable Energy Community group signed up as partner with Kildare County Council to access the SEC Partnership Programme with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The overall thrust for Kilcullen to undertake the project goes back to a KCA discussion in early 2018. "Hopefully we will have a progress report early in the new year," Eoin Houlihan said last night.

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