Eight Offaly schools shortlisted for major EU retrofit programme

Eight Offaly schools have been included in an initial assessment phase of a project that could potentially seem them receive major energy upgrades.

The local schools included in the Initial Assessment Phase of the RePowerEU Extended Pathfinder Programme are Mercy Primary School, Birr; Shinrone Mixed NS; Clara Convent NS; SN Naomh Cholumcille, Durrow; St Patrick's NS Edenderry; St Cynoc's NS, Ferbane; Sacred Heart Secondary School, Tullamore and Geashill NS.

They have been shortlisted for an energy retrofit programme as part of an €81 million REPowerEU Programme, the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, boost the independence and security of the Union’s energy supply and accelerate the green transition.

A pool of 40 schools across five counties have been included in the initial assessment phase.  Schools ultimately selected for inclusion in the programme will be given a deep retrofit to achieve a Building Energy Rating (BER) of at least B by installing heatpumps, LED lighting and mechanical heat recovery ventilation. The fabric and airtightness of the schools will also be upgraded and electric car chargers will be installed.

Minister Foley said: “I am pleased to be able to announce that the Department of Education has been successful in obtaining such a significant level of funding through this REPowerEU programme.

“I welcome that eight schools in County Offaly have been shortlisted for inclusion in this Programme. The schools approved for an energy retrofit will enjoy significantly better energy performance and a more comfortable teaching and learning environment.”

The €81 million funding to the Department of Education represents the largest of the five investments included in Ireland’s funding allocation for its National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It will add to the number of schools being given deep retrofits under the existing school pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme.

The schools which will benefit from the retrofitting funding were part of a pilot phase of the Schools Energy Inventory project. This project covered schools in Kildare, Meath, Offaly, Wicklow and Wexford. It was completed with support from the European Investment Bank.

While 40 schools across the five counties have been selected for initial assessment, final decisions on schools to be included in the programme will take account of a range of factors, including the scope of works required in the individual school following detailed assessment by design teams, procurement considerations, and the need to remain within both budgetary and time parameters.