Over the last number of months, works have been ongoing as part of the SEAI Better Energy Communities (BEC) 2019 programme at both O'Garney Park and Cappa Lodge.

Sixmilebridge GAA are delighted to be included on the Aramark BEC project for this year, which allowed us to undertake a number of energy efficiency upgrade works. These works included upgrading our external lighting at O'Garney Park and Cappa Lodge, installing a solar thermal DHW (hot water) system at O'Garney Park and also installing a three-zone programmer for heating and hot water at O'Garney Park. Club member & player Caimin Barrett, who works as a project development engineer with Aramark Energy Services, led this initiative, and the club are grateful for his work on the project and for Aramark's generosity and assistance.

BEC is the SEAI's national retrofit initiative with grant support of up to €28million a year. The SEAI supports new approaches to achieving energy efficiency in Irish communities with the aim to deliver energy savings to homeowners, communities and private sector organisations. This year, the SEAI supported 57 projects under the scheme, with €25.3m in total invested across all projects. This will help support energy efficiency upgrades in 698 homes and 570 non-domestic buildings, with a total project cost of €65.8m. Since its implementation, the programme has been very successful supporting upgrades of 2,570 non-domestic buildings and over 18,000 homes.

Yesterday evening, Caimin gave a presentation on the works and the BEC programme to club members, with over 35 in attendance. On the evening, he outlined that initial energy audits were completed at O'Garney Park and Cappa Lodge, with reports complied on each analysing consumption, identifying significant energy users and development of a register of opportunities. The next step involved project proposals and estimated savings before evaluation by the SEAI, who then made the club an offer which they accepted, with the works having to be completed by the end of September.

The BEC grant value for a community organisation like Sixmilebridge GAA is 50% funding. It was interesting to see the annual electricity consumption at both facilities and oil consumption at O'Garney Park over a 12-month period, with the club using enough electricity to power the equivalent of six members' homes for one whole year. 

The external lighting project saw over 30 fittings (SON, metal halide and halogen capsule) replaced with energy efficient LED fittings (Triple E registered) incorporating controls such as sensors where possible. LED fittings use considerably less energy, offer greater light, longer lifespan and less maintenance, which will result in savings of 70% on external lighting, with the overall load significantly reduced. 

The solar thermal system is a two-panel system which works on the laws of thermodynamics and, as such, sources heat from the sun, rainwater and wind convection. This system replaced the messy, inefficient three-cylinder set up with immersions and will effectively make the oil boiler redundant in it's hot water generating role. The solar thermal system will produce savings of 60%-80% on the energy used to provide hot water with John Corbett (club president & field manager) giving early positive feedback provided on the quality and supply of hot water at the showers. 

The heating controls were installed to give better control of the existing oil system, which does space heating and can provide hot water. However, it is expected that the oil boiler will now rarely be used to generate hot water which is better for the environment. 

Caimin also highlighted future potential energy upgrade works that could be undertaken over the next few years which should also be eligible for grant funding, including fabric upgrades and the upgrading of internal lighting at both facilities. On the evening, the lighting supplier (Shannon Wholesale Electrical, Limerick) offered a 10% discount to any Sixmilebridge GAA Club member on lighting (bulbs, lamps, fittings), with a 10% discount on solar systems for 2019 with LVP Renewables, Finglas, Dublin 11 also offered.

Caimin also paid special tribute on the evening to Paddy Meehan (Chairman), Joan Keogh (Treasurer), John Corbett (President) and his hardworking team, Pat Chaplin and Tony Downes, Johnny Corbett (Johnny Corbett Heating & Plumbing), John Lynch and Danny Chaplin (LynChap Electrical), Podge Flannery (Padraig Flannery Carpentry), and all other club members who helped to facilitate audits and works over the last number of months.