Case Study (998 KB PDF)

Presented at: European Conference on Local Energy Action: Optimising local action to drive sustainable energy and transport in the Europe of Twenty-Five
20-21 October 2004, Brussels, Belgium

Geraldine Ann CUSACK, Manager, Meath Energy Management Agency, Ireland

Slides (1112 KB PDF) | Proceedings and Recordings

Summary

Meath Energy Management Agency (MEMA) is a local energy agency formed in 2002 by Meath County Council and the European Commission Directorate General for Energy, DGXVll under the Save II programme.

Meath Energy Management Agency (MEMA) is located in Navan, County Meath, Ireland. County Meath is set in the east of the country and boarders the Irish Sea coast. Navan is County Meath's capital and it is situated 30 kilometres north of Dublin. Navan was the fastest growing large town in Ireland between 1996 and 2002 and within this time its population increased by more than half from 12,810 in 1996 to 19,417 in 2002. This growth is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Results

(Estimated) Number of people who directly enquired about MEMA and energy issues:

• At Information Stand in Navan Shopping Centre: Approx. 80-100 over the week
• At Ploughing Championship information stand: Approx. 300-400 per day
• In gaining further information from MEMA: approx. 8-10 requests

The information stand in the Navan shopping centre generated a lot of public awareness of the Meath Energy Management Agency. There were many follow-up queries in the weeks that followed, specifically in the area of Energy Efficiency tips in the home. People wanted to reduce their energy bills but were unsure how they should proceed. There were many requests for information on renewable energy technologies for people building new homes. They were specifically interested in Solar Panels and Geothermal Heat Pumps.

There was a similar interest at the Ploughing Championships and several request forms for information were received by MEMA.

The schools were presented with 'Home Energy Surveys' to bring home with them where householders could determine how Energy Efficient their homes were and how they could improve on that.

All of these activities combined to promote energy efficiency in the county. MEMA attempted through these activities to reduce energy consumption in County Meath, thereby reducing local pollution and greenhouse gases.