Dublin - Ireland
Dublin Energy DayBackground
When it comes to environmentally friendly initiatives, City of Dublin Energy Management Agency Ltd (CODEMA) and Dublin City Council continue to lead by example. The city of Dublin was among the first of a small number of European cities, who have been invited by the European Commission to participate in a European ‘Energy Days’ initiative, as part of the Sustainable Energy Europe 2005-2008 Campaign. An Energy Day or Week is an action that aims to involve the wider public in a wide range of activities related to the production or use of renewable energy and energy efficiency. CODEMA organised a successful Energy Day in Dublin in November 2005. CODEMA is now in the process of using Display® to certify public buildings, as part of another European project.
From left : Kieran Gallagher, City Architects Department ; The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Catherine Byrne and Dr Gerry Wardell, Director of CODEMA
Project Description |
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| Aim |
The aim of the Energy Day was to communicate the theme ‘energy efficiency in buildings, both residential and public buildings’ to the attendees and the general public. It was an ‘open door’ day that aimed to reach as many people as possible. The first Display® Certificate for one of Dublin’s public buildings, the Civic Offices, was unveiled at the event. |
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| The Energy Day |
Attendees
The Energy Day was held on 28th of November 2005 in Dublin City Council’s Civic Offices. This is their main headquarters and public office in the city centre.
_ There were 41 members of Dublin City Council invited, from the following groups and departments :
- Senior Management Co-ordination Group
- Corporate Services Department
- Engineering Department
- Environment & Culture Department
- Housing, Social and Community Services
- Planning and Economic Development Department
- Human Resources Department
- Roads and Traffic Department
_ In addition, 28 journalists from the following media were invited :
- 9 Newspapers
- 4 Journals
- 4 Television stations
- 2 Radio stations
_ Of those invited, only one radio journalist attended the event. Unfortunately, the event was scheduled on a day that turned out to be very busy on the news front.
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Journalist from Newstalk 106 interviewing The Lord Mayor Counsellor Catherine Byrne
_ Programme
An exhibition stand was set up at 8am on the morning of the event in the foyer of the Civic Offices, and was manned for the day by CODEMA staff members. The foyer is frequented by members of the public (600/day) and staff (1,600/day).
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Exhibition stand in the foyer of Civic Offices
_ Three presentations were scheduled from 10.00am to 12.00 noon. A stage and a podium were set up in the foyer for the speakers and there was a seating area in front of the stage for the attendees. There were three presenters who spoke on energy efficiency of buildings in Dublin :
- Gerry Wardell – Director, CODEMA
- Kieran Gallagher – Deputy City Architect, Dublin City Council
- The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Counsellor Catherine Byrne.
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Presentation by The Lord Mayor Counsellor Catherine Byrne
_ The presentations were followed by awarding The Lord Mayor Counsellor Catherine Byrne the first Display® Certificate for a Dublin City public building - the Civic Offices.
_ Quote from The Lord Mayor :
"I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of Dublin City Council. It is only right that Dublin City Council’s headquarters is at the forefront of energy management. Good low energy design which the City Council is applying in new housing schemes throughout the city will ensure lower energy bills for our customers and help protect the environment without compromising comfort”.
_ This award ceremony was followed by light refreshments.
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| Key points |
Planning and cost
The event was planned well in advance. Organising the event involved booking a Public Address (PA) system, a stage, seating, catering and a professional photographer. All bookings were done well ahead of the event.
_ CODEMA communicated frequently with the Lord Mayor’s office before the event to ensure that everything would run smoothly on the day. Prior to the event, a press release was prepared and disseminated to the local press and help was provided by the European Commission’s PR agency, Mostra, in disseminating the press release to the European press database. A pre-event article was also published in Dublin City Council’s newsletter ‘First Post’ to alert people working in the Civic Offices to the event.
_ CODEMA worked with graphic designers in designing posters and invites for the Energy Day. Information packs were received from the European Commission containing information on the ’Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign 2005-2008’, and were disseminated at the event along with CODEMA’s own printed material, which included :
- Six project brochures and one CODEMA brochure
- CODEMA folders
- Two A1 project posters
- Two A1 posters designed specifically for the Energy Day
- Banner- ’Sustainable Energy Day in Dublin 28/11/05’
_ There are real costs involved in such a day. The staff costs and external costs were approximately €9,200, so it is important to factor this into the planning of such an event.
_ Success of the Energy Day
The pre-event article in Dublin City Council’s newsletter, along with the targeted invites to Council staff and the media, resulted in a well-attended event. CODEMA was very pleased with the attendance and felt that the day was a success. A lot of people visited the stand and were very interested in the event. Positive word-of-mouth feedback on the event was also received.
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| Certification using Display® |
Further work is continuing in Dublin as part of the Display® Campaign, and as part of other Europe-wide projects. So far CODEMA has certified three public buildings using the Display® Campaign methodology :
1. Dublin City Council’s Civic Offices
2. Green Street Court and
3. Mansion House (a Victorian building, which is the Lord Mayor’s residence but also has conference facilities)
_ Further energy performance assessments and trial certification of buildings using Display® is planned as part of the Intelligent Energy Europe Building Directive project (BUDI). The overall goal of the BUDI project is to prepare for the implementation of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and accelerate the successful introduction of Energy Performance Certificates. The trial certification will focus on two target groups : public authorities and the housing sector. Public authorities are considered an important target group as they have a responsibility to set shining examples in their regions for citizens and businesses. The housing sector is also an important group to target, as it represents a large proportion of buildings that require certification under the Directive.
_ The trial certification will be conducted on 10 blocks of apartments and approximately 8 public buildings in each region. The procedures for issuing energy performance certificates will be tested in detail and the organisational procedures developed. This will form a concrete foundation for an accepted, informed and functioning market for energy certificates. All experiences and expertise developed through this project will form the basis for recommendations for the general implementation of the energy performance certificates and other support measures for the housing and public sectors.
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| Reason for inclusion as Shining Example |
Through their Energy Day and the trial certification work as part of the BUDI project, CODEMA has fully utilised the Display® tool and is ensuring that Dublin will be well prepared for implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The Energy Day also provided an excellent avenue for raising awareness on energy efficiency in buildings, both among Council staff and the wider public. |
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Partners&Roles |
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| Partnership details |
CODEMA is the City of Dublin Energy Management Agency. It was founded in 1997 as a limited company, on the initiative of Dublin City Council and with financial support from the European Commission. CODEMA’s aim is to contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of Dublin through good energy management, which will benefit the environment and improve the quality of life for those who live and work in the city. CODEMA acts as an advisor to Dublin City Council and other local authorities, and operates a sustainability consultancy service for the private sector.
_ The European ‘Energy Days’ initiative is part of the Sustainable Energy Europe 2005-2008 Campaign, which is a European Commission campaign.
_ BUDI is part-funded under the ‘Intelligent Energy – Europe’ (EIE) Programme of the European Commission – as is Display®. The EIE Programme is a financial support programme for non-technological actions in the field of energy and supports EU energy policies as laid down in the Green Paper on Security of Energy Supply, the White Paper on Transport and other related Community legislation such as the Buildings Directive.
_ For the BUDI project, CODEMA is in partnership with other European cities and regions, in five countries :
- Austria (Graz and Styria)
- Finland (Central Finland)
- France (Region of Rhone-Alps)
- Germany (Berlin)
- Slovenia
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Recommendations |
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| Achievements |
Although it would have been nice if the Energy Day had received more media attendance, it was a busy news day and therefore had a lot to compete with.
_ However, the Energy Day was very successful. A lot of planning was put into the event which paid off as the event was well-organised and well-attended. CODEMA communicated with many people on the day and disseminated all of their material, and therefore felt that they achieved its goals.
_ A follow-up post-event article was published in Dublin City Council’s newsletter ‘First Post’ to highlight the success of the Day to Dublin City Council staff. |
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| Lessons Learned |
The event CODEMA held should be very easy to replicate. Here are some handy hints for anyone planning a similar event :
- You need to have a clear idea of what the benefits and aims of the event are from the outset.
- You need to set a realistic budget.
- You need to plan the event well in advance.
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