New EU-funded project ‘EasyPro’ will make Irish universities more energy efficient
The Challenge
To combat global warming, public bodies need to play their part in being more energy efficient and carbon neutral. Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) can make this happen, whereby an energy service company (ESCO) partners with a client organisation to install energy-saving measures in their buildings and guarantees a certain level of energy savings, while getting paid based on the amount of energy saved over time. However, EPCs are complicated and expensive to procure, with significant legal, administrative and financial barriers that prevent contracts between organisations and energy service companies (ESCOs) from being signed. In addition, knowledge of EPC templates and how to successfully facilitate EPC deployment is distributed among different stakeholders of the supply chain, making the procurement process challenging.
Solution: EasyPro project
To address these challenges, the new EU-funded EasyPro project will develop a tailored EPC Facilitation Service and procurement framework, with the overarching aim being to get public bodies to undertake energy efficient building renovations using the energy performance contracting scheme. The EPC and framework will be implemented at four Irish universities that support the project: University College Cork, Technological University Dublin, Maynooth University and Dublin City University.
The EasyPro project kicked off on the 1st July 2024 and combines the expertise of four Irish partner organisations: University College Cork’s International Energy Research Centre, the City of Dublin’s Energy Management Agency, Noel Lawler Green Energy Solutions and Carr Communications. The three-year project was formed in response to the EU objective of transitioning to a clean energy system. Furthermore, in using Irish universities as the case studies, EasyPro aligns well with the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan. This plan sets a target for all public sector bodies, including the Higher Education Sector, to improve energy efficiency by 50% by the end of 2030.
The project will support the implementation of EPCs across the Irish university buildings via a unique, integrated, end-to-end solution that will meet all stakeholders’ needs for the deployment of energy efficiency measures. Stakeholders will include the clients (the Universities), providers of energy efficiency solutions (i.e. Technology suppliers, Equipment Installers, Engineering Companies, Energy Service Companies) and investors. The EasyPro project team will act as the EPC Facilitator, guiding the decision-makers at the selected Universities through a successful implementation of EPC projects in their buildings.
The ‘EasyPro solution’ will include novel EPC templates that will enable the Universities to reach their targets for carbon emission reductions and energy savings, as well as calculation methodologies, measurement and verification protocols, financial modelling tools, risk assessment tools, a tailored tendering process, and a matchmaking service between investors and clients. This solution will remove the legal, administrative and market barriers that currently prevent large scale investments in energy efficiency projects in the Irish public sector.
Aims
Speaking at the EasyPro kick off meeting at the Tyndall National Institute in July, EasyPro coordinator Luciano De Tommasi said:
‘EasyPro will play a key role in tackling global warming by enabling energy efficiency in Irish universities, which have a privileged and respected position insofar as they’re seen as credible teachers and sources of knowledge. This, in combination with our industry-led team, gives our project the unique opportunity to lead by example, facilitating the application of accessible and low-cost solutions to four Irish Universities and, in the coming years, to several other buildings of the higher education sector and of other public bodies, in Ireland as well as in other EU Countries.’
‘EasyPro will play a key role in tackling global warming by enabling energy efficiency in Irish universities, which have a privileged and respected position insofar as they’re seen as credible teachers and sources of knowledge. This, in combination with our industry-led team, gives our project the unique opportunity to lead by example, facilitating the application of accessible and low-cost solutions to four Irish Universities and, in the coming years, to several other buildings of the higher education sector and of other public bodies, in Ireland as well as in other EU Countries.’
The project will prove that a standardised procurement process can be successfully implemented in the Higher Education sector in Ireland and in turn pave the way for its roll-out to the rest of the Irish public sector and beyond to the public sectors in other EU Member States. By the end of the project, EasyPro will facilitate up to €45.3 million of investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
For more information on the EasyPro project, follow us on:
Twitter/X: @EUeasypro
LinkedIn: EasyPro
For technical enquiries, contact:
Luciano De Tommasi
Project Coordinator, University College Cork
For communications enquiries, contact:
Sean Travers
EU Project Manager, Carr Communications
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.