'Energy prescriptions' for Laois homes as energy clinics visit estates

The Energy Clinic at Fairgreen, Portlaoise: Anne Lennon, Climate Action Officer with Laois County Council, Laurence O’Reilly, SEAI Communities, Ronan King, Prepay Power, Kevin Manning, Laois County Council, Liam Donohoe, Midland Energy Agency, and Belinda Gyves, People First Credit Union. Photo: Alf Harvey.

placeholder image — The Energy Clinic at Fairgreen, Portlaoise: Anne Lennon, Climate Action Officer with Laois County Council, Laurence O’Reilly, SEAI Communities, Ronan King, Prepay Power, Kevin Manning, Laois County Council, Liam Donohoe, Midland Energy Agency, and Belinda Gyves, People First Credit Union. Photo: Alf Harvey.

The Neighbourhood Energy Clinics visited estates in Portlaoise

There was great interest in the free Neighbourhood Energy Clinics which took place in a number of estates in Portlaoise.

These clinics provided residents in Portlaoise with “home energy prescriptions” to help improve their energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and identify suitable retrofit supports.

Organised by Laois County Council’s Climate Action Team, the clinics visited estates throughout Portlaoise, including Esker Hills, Wood Grove, Kylebrook, Cherrygarth, The Hermitage, Marian Avenue, Fairgreen and Kilminchy.

The clinics had independent qualified energy experts who provided residents with free and one-to-one advice on home energy upgrades. Topics discussed included attic and wall insulation, heating system improvements, solar PV installations, ventilation, and the steps involved in carrying out a home energy retrofit.

Laois Civil Defence provided its communications van, enabling the Neighbourhood Energy Clinics to travel directly to residential estates across Portlaoise and offer residents accessible advice in their own communities.

Using the innovative RetroKit digital assessment tool, specialists combined each home’s Building Energy Rating (BER), where available, with other information about the property to generate a personalised “home energy prescription.”

Each prescription set out the retrofit measures best suited to the home, relevant SEAI grant supports and practical steps to improve comfort, reduce energy costs and lower environmental impact.

Residents also received practical information on the various SEAI grants and supports available to help offset the cost of energy upgrades, making retrofit projects more accessible and affordable.

Portlaoise Credit Union also attended the clinics and provided information on its green loan products and financing options available to homeowners considering energy efficiency improvements. This gave residents an opportunity to learn about both grant supports and funding options that can assist with retrofit projects.

Yuno Energy also attended the clinics and provided residents with practical energy-saving tips to help reduce household energy use and costs.

Laurence O’Reilly, SEC Mentor with SEAI, was also on hand to provide residents with advice on the SEAI grants and supports available.

Commenting on the success of the clinics, Anne Lennon, Climate Action Officer with Laois County Council, said: “Bringing the clinics directly into neighbourhoods made it easier for residents to access trusted, independent advice and ask questions about the options best suited to their homes.”

Kevin Manning, Energy Engineer with Laois County Council, added: “Every home is different. By bringing together the home’s BER, where available, and other property information through RetroKit, we could provide residents with a personalised home energy prescription. This gave each household a clearer view of the retrofit measures, grant supports and next steps most relevant to their home.”