Learn and Upskill

The talk provided a comprehensive overview of current developments and successful implementations in renewable heat, electrification, and industrial decarbonization, featuring real-world examples from large inustry organisations who are leading the way in decarbonisation.

This session highlighted to Irish SMEs that there is National and EU funding available to them and demonstrated how to access these opportunities. SMEs are the engine of the European economy, they drive job creation, economic growth and ensure social stability. We outlined the opportunities that are available to SMEs and some of the impacts that funding can have on Irish SMEs.

The purpose of this event was to connect potential employees (new build tradespeople, apprentices in training, BER assessors, and business managers with contractors in the domestic retrofit sector.

This included an initial presentation outlining:

1. Demand and opportunities in the sector
2. Educational and upskilling opportunities
3. Personal stories from retrofit professionals

This was then followed by a networking opportunity for those interested to meet and talk individually to contractors/installers who are seeking to recruit staff.

A number of commercial products have emerged to support scaling in the retrofit market. This session provided an overview of recent innovations and was followed by presentations from a number of commercial platforms that leverage the wealth of data contained in the BER domestic database. Finally, SEAI outlined how BER data access may be provided to interested commercial parties through the NAS Trusted Partner API.

The purpose of this short workshop was to bring prospective One Stop Shops through the two-stage registration process with tips on how to apply along with any common challenges.

Guest speakers from three registered One Stop Shops (Energywise Ireland, House 2 Home Retrofit, and Kingdom Installation) discussed their experiences through the registration process and how it has helped them prepare for their first year as a One Stop Shop.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage recently released their long anticipated Guidance for Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings. In this session they provided an update to industry on progress with this guidance and on the SEAI funded FabTrads research project.

In this seminar the Public Sector team outlined the pipeline of projects to the key stakeholders in the supply chain, that can help them halve their sectorial emissions by 2030 as required by Ireland's Climate Action Plan.

Leadership was shown by the Public Sector by outlining the work done to date, achievements, while also detailing all the upcoming and future projects that will take place up to 2030. Pathfinders will help these groups make the important connections, while outlining the supports available under the scheme.

This session raised awareness on the importance of ventilation as a concept but also in importance of proper design/installation and communication/handover.

The purpose of this event was to connect potential employees (new build tradespeople, apprentices in training, BER assessors, business managers etc) with contractors in the domestic retrofit sector.

This included an initial presentation outlining:

1. Demand and opportunities in the sector
2. Educational and upskilling opportunities
3. Personal stories from retrofit professionals

This briefing provided an update on the upcoming Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme and other financing models available for home upgrades in the market.

The overall winner was announced and there will be a panel discussion with the four regional winners. The awards recognise excellence in dealerships in the promotion and encouragement of EV uptake. 

The winners of the 2024 Product of the Show were presented with their awards.

Briefing on the current business supports available to SMEs. This briefing covered the educational and financial supports available to SMEs on their energy efficiency journey. It included an overview of the Energy Academy, Energy Management Training, Support Scheme for Energy Audits and financial supports such as the Non-domestic Microgeneration Scheme, EV supports and the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat.

This energy theatre session introduced the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEOS) to businesses and public sector bodies. The session covered how the EEOS scheme operates, explained who the Obligated Parties (OPs) are, what supports OPs can offer, and showed examples of supports they have already offered to Irish businesses and public sector organisations as part of the scheme and the eligibility criteria to be met. Two guest speakers joining the session- the first was a a testimonial from an Irish business/public sector organisation who has carried out a project with support from an OP and the second was a contribution from an OP representative, providing further information on supports available and the overall process structure.

The session highlighted the role of the Market Surveillance Authority within SEAI and how a level playing field is maintained for Economic Operators in respect of EU Ecodesign, Energy Labelling and Tyre Labelling Regulation through compliance monitoring, verification, and promotion. Ecodesign and Energy Labelling will account for significant energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions across the European Union by 2030. It is estimated that 1533-Terawatt Hour of energy and 160 Million Tonnes of CO2 equivalent will be saved annually by 2030. The list of products that fall under the MSA's remit include many building service products and industrial products. All products covered use significant amounts of energy in an EU context.

Practical steps were outlined for importers/distributors to ensure that they are in compliance with Ecodesign and Energy Labelling legislation and what the compliance process looks like in practical terms. The benefits of registering products on the Triple E register and procuring from it was also highlighted.

This session outlined how Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) can help organisations across the public and private sectors deliver guaranteed energy savings and achieve their decarbonisation targets. There was an introduction to EPCs and an overview of how the contractual arrangement between the beneficiary and the provider of the energy efficient improvement measure works in practical terms. The different contract types involved and how they differ from traditional works contracts and their benefits in relation to energy upgrade projects. The key steps involved in project implementation and delivery, such as project financing, procurement and risk management was also highlighted. The Energy Contracting Support Scheme, which provides funding supports for organisation in need of external expertise to assist with project delivery was outlined. These included EPC Facilitator training for Energy Auditors wishing to be included on SEAI's upcoming register of EPC facilitators and clients wanting to familiarise themselves further with the EPC  process.

The findings to date of the ZEVI EV Commercial Fleet Trial was presented.

An understandable 'farm to fork' description of Ireland's national energy system, covering where our energy comes from (imports, own-production, etc.) and where it goes (transport, residential sector, industry activity, etc.). This presentation covered the past, present, and future trends in Ireland's energy, by blending measured statistics with modelled projections. We showed how Ireland is performing against national emission targets, European renewable energy share targets, and highlight what technologies and policies are helping us towards emission reductions.

The winners of the 2024 Product of the Show presented on their winning products.

This session was an opportunity for businesses to book in sessions with SEAI staff to discuss the supports available to SMEs on their energy efficiency journey.

The session focused on the anticipated launch of the non-domestic retrofit scheme, ideally timed before or during the Energy show. The briefing offered insights into the retrofit support options for businesses and public sector entities. It aimed to deliver comprehensive information through background analysis, showcasing case studies, and highlighting examples of businesses that exemplify best practices in retrofitting.

This presentation provided the latest insights into conversions from fossil fuel heating to heat pumps in Irish homes and described the ongoing trial with heat pumps in high-HLI homes. Heat pumps play a key role in Ireland's strategy to decarbonise residential heating. In this session we presented recent behavioural insights into the drivers behind, and barriers to, the uptake of heat pumps, give an assessment of the current state of heat pumps installed in the Irish dwelling stock, and described an ongoing pilot project to explore broadening SEAI's heat pump grant support to more homes.