Wicklow café transforms its energy efficiency after a host of upgrades
Poppies Café in Enniskerry saves money and improves energy efficiency with a suite of energy upgrades.
Background
Poppies is a popular family-run café located in the picturesque village of Enniskerry, in Co. Wicklow. Poppies first opened its doors in 1984 as a small tearoom and over the next 40 years it has gone from strength to strength, both increasing in size and product offering. The current owners bought the café in 2001 after giving up the corporate life because they ‘wanted to make a difference and be their own boss’.
Peter along with his wife Fiona run their business with sustainability front of mind. “To have a good business you have to obviously look after the business itself, you have to look after your customers and you have to look after society, and I like to think at Poppies, we do all three” says Peter. This is ethos of the company and how they have managed to be so successful over the past 20 years.
The energy crisis was turning point for their business, and it was then that Peter and Fiona realised that investing in energy efficiency made perfect business sense. “It stressed the importance of being sustainable and reducing your energy consumption” says Peter. They invested in new technologies that would help to reduce energy consumption and cut back on bills.
The sustainable energy journey and benefits Peter experienced first-hand, promoted him to complete a post-grad in climate entrepreneurship at Trinity College Dublin as well as completing numerous SEAI online energy management courses.
It’s not big-ticket items. It’s a change in culture, it’s a change in how you do your business, we will promote Irish, we will promote local, and we will promote stuff that benefits the environment.
The Project
Poppies invested circa €70,000 in energy upgrades. Full list below. They were able to avail of SEAI grants for the heat pump and solar PV which made the investment more affordable, making a massive difference to their bottom line.
- Solar PV, 15kw battery and display monitor - €20,000
- Heat pump - €5,000
- Solar tubes - €5,000
- Ovens and hobs, €11,000
- Fridges - €15,000
- Bathroom upgrade - €10,000
- Lights and sensors - €1,000
Results and benefits
The energy upgrades have had major savings on energy bills. Poppies has saved an estimated 30% of annual energy use kW.
Benefits
- Reduced running costs
- Working in the kitchen is more pleasant as the hot air is pulled from the kitchen and used to heat the water
- Positive reaction from customers
- Being able to educate our customers (solar generation board is on display in the café for all to see!)
- Easy to apply for SEAI funding
Business Energy Upgrade Scheme
SEAI has launched the new Business Energy Upgrade Scheme, ideal for the hospitality sector. The scheme, funded by the Climate Action Fund, offers up to €120,000 for a range of common building upgrade measures including pumps, solar thermal, automatic controls, heat pumps, ventilation, and wall insulation. The scheme is open to all businesses and small public bodies who are upgrading a building they own or occupy. Apply online and get approval within minutes.