Tuar Ard undertaking €90k energy upgrade
Tuar Ard Arts Centre in Moate is in the process of carrying out an €90,000 energy upgrade of the centre which they hope will save them €7,000 per year.
Manager Mary Dennisen says they are hoping the centre in Moate will be an example of what can can happen when there's a focus on energy efficiency.
Single room ventilation heat recovery units were installed recently in two offices without windows along with €54,000 worth of solar panels.
The centre spent €2,000 on oil for heating in January and another €2,500 for heating again recently. They believe the energy upgrade will reduce their heating costs by 40% and that the addition of the solar panels will save them €4,000 on heating per year.
Tuar Ard Arts Centre is currently spending €9,000 per year on energy costs, and the centre management believe they may save around €7,000 a year based on all the energy upgrades made.
In January 2021, Moate Community Development Association, the management committee of Tuar Ard, enlisted the assistance of SEAI registered professionals, Watt Footprint to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of the centre to look into the heating and electricity and to discover how practices could be improved.
The final audit report made a number of recommendations which they estimated would reduce the organisation’s carbon emissions by 57.8% and result in an annual energy saving of €6,800. Given the rising cost of energy and a moral obligation to address the climate emergency at a local level, the board agreed to implement all the audit recommendations and set about identifying sources of funding to assist with the project.
The organisation was successful in securing €24,750 in grant aid from the Community Centre Investment Fund and €48,000 from Westmeath Community Development under the LEADER Programme for Rural Development at the end of 2022. Moate Community Development Association will pay the remaining balance.
The final phase of Tuar Ard’s green energy project will be completed this week with the installation of a new Solar PV System which is being carried out by industry experts Solar Evolution. Project Director of Solar Evolution, Brigid Walsh, says the company were delighted to be awarded the contract of a Solar PV 39.95kWp roof-mounted system at Tuar Ard.
The energy produced through the Solar PV System will benefit the local community and the environment through the reduced reliance on electricity derived from fossil fuel while also reducing their ever-growing energy costs. Solar power is going to be essential to meeting growing energy demands while fighting off climate change.
She also believes Moate Community Development Association’s foresight and commitment to reducing their carbon footprint is paving the way for other communities of similar mindsets.
They have upgraded all electric heaters in the centre with more efficient versions which are now monitored and controlled by smart meters and thermostats. These meters and thermostats have also been connected to the existing radiators. Destratification fans have also been installed which work to distribute heat more efficiently. These fans also have an air purification feature which will work to eliminate airborne pathogens in the air.
The water in the oil heating system has been treated through a process known as demineralisation which removes all minerals for the water, stops corrosion and is expected to increase system efficiency by up to 20%. All this work was carried out by Athlone Company, Ermen Systems with the assistance of Clever Energy Solutions in Tipperary.