Pathfinder partners
Learn about the public sector partnerships established through the Pathfinder programme, their achievements and plans.
Department of Education
The Department of Education and SEAI are working together to create an accurate and scalable model to retrofit Ireland’s schools.
Through trialling and testing energy efficiency and renewable heat technologies, the programme is paving the way to decarbonise the schools’ sector at a national scale.
-
2017
programme started -
41
schools retrofitted by 2021 -
2050
target of Net Zero for 2050
Key achievement timeline
| Year | No. of Schools | Strategy | GWh savings | tCO2 Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10 | Capacity development and energy efficiency | 1.3 | 263 |
| 2018 | 6 | Capacity development and energy efficiency | 1 | 202 |
| 2019 | 16 | Capacity development, energy efficiency and procurement methods | 2 | 404 |
| 2020 | 7 | Capacity development, procurement methods and cost-optimal BER B solutions | 1.4 | 269 |
| 2021 | 9 | Capacity development, procurement methods, BER B solutions, deep retrofit and renewable heat | ongoing | ongoing |
| 2022 | 6 | Deep energy retrofit measures: Introduction of EED design & reporting requirements concentration | 0.95 | 240 |
| 2023 | 10 | The schools had Deep Retrofit, MVHR systems and renewable heating installed | 2.5 | 568 |
“The Pathfinder programme is a great example of how, working together on pilot energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects, we can establish approaches to ensure compatibility with school design and operational requirements on a scalable basis”.
Health Service Executive
In 2018 the HSE partnered with SEAI and established a joint co-funding partnership agreement to progress energy efficiency and shallow retrofit projects for the HSE. An Energy Bureau was formed to progress the energy and decarbonisation agenda under 3 pillars:
- Energy Management Bureau and support of Local Energy Management Teams.
- A programme of retrofit works comprising capital works (major and minor) and centrally co- ordinated retrofit projects of various scale.
- Incorporate Energy Efficient Design (EED) approach and principles into all new and retrofit capital works projects.
-
24
additional facilities selected for deep retrofit in 2024 -
2020
Pathfinder programme started -
354
shallow retrofit measures across 48 buildings funded for 2023 -
10
facilities selected to develop Stage 1 design in 2023
Deep retrofit decarbonisation pathway
Further to the revised targets in the Governments Climate Action Plan, in 2021 the HSE and SEAI broadened the scope of the partnership. The Pathfinder Programme seeks to develop a deep retrofit decarbonisation pathway for existing HSE facilities to quantify, assess and evaluate various technical and financial solutions for deep retrofit of healthcare facilities. The 10 no. Pilot HSE facilities progressed through this approach completed Stage 1 Preliminary Design in 2023 and are currently at Stage 2a Scheme Design.
The Pathfinder aims to utilise the best practice learnings from the 10 No. pilots to further develop a strategy to accelerate the deep retrofit of an additional 24 health care facilities using more standardized design approaches to reduce project timescales.
Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority (DFHERIS & HEA)
SEAI's Pathfinder partnership with DFHERIS and the HEA began in 2020. The aim is to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in higher education institutes.
-
2020
Pathfinder programme started -
7
buildings selected to retrofit to BER B and decarbonise -
21
buildings selected for retrofit works -
2023
21 schemes identified for retrofit works
Higher education 2020 call
A competition was launched across the sector in 2020 with a target to decarbonise and retrofit buildings to a BER B. 7 projects were delivered improving the BER rating to B or better. Energy savings of 42% were predicted and are being evaluated during the Measurment and Verification period.
Higher education 2021 call
A second competitive call was launched in 2021 - 8 schemes were selected and will be delivered by the end of 2024.
Higher education 2023 call
The third competitive call was launched in 2023. 13 retrofit schemes have been shortlisted and are progressing to design phase where they will be evaluated for value and impact before progressing to construction phase.
Office of Public Works (OPW)
In 2017, the OPW and SEAI established a partnership to support shallow retrofit upgrades across the Central Government building stock. In 2022, the partnership programme selected buildings to develop deep retrofit and renewable heat solutions.
-
2017
Pathfinder programme started -
121
Shallow retrofit upgrades completed across 121 central government buildings -
8
Buildings selected in 2022 for deep retrofit and renewable heat -
5
Additional buildings selected in 2024 for deep retrofit
Key achievement timeline
| Year | No. of Buildings | Strategy | GWh savings | tCO2 Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10 | Energy efficiency | 3.7 | 747 |
| 2018 | 68 | Energy efficiency | 9.9 | 1,818 |
| 2019 | 31 | Energy efficiency | 5 | 1,000 |
| 2020 | 13 | Energy efficiency | tbc | tbc |
| 2022 | 8 | Deep Retrofit and Renewable Heat Solutions | tbc | tbc |
| 2024 | 5 | Deep Retrofit and Renewable Heat Solutions | tbc | tbc |