Consultants appointed for Westport energy master plan

WEST SEC (Westport Embracing Sustainable Travel Sustainable Energy Community) has appointed ORS as consultants in the process to develop an energy master plan for Westport.

ORS is a full-service firm of engineers, construction specialists and energy management consultants based in the midlands with a lot of experience in sustainable energy.

In the coming months WEST SEC, which operates the 15 Minute Westport campaign, will devise the plan with ORS to help reduce the town’s carbon emissions over the next three to five years.

The group of local volunteers formed last year as part of a national network of Sustainable Energy Communities. They have partnered with Westport Credit Union who are providing initial bridging finance for the initiative, which will be funded through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Westport Credit Union is keen to support the greening of Westport homes.

Said group member Feena Kirkamm: “The plan is to engage deeply with the people living and working in our community to identify how we are all using energy in two specific aspects of our lives, heating our homes and buildings, and travelling from A to B.

“We want to come up with a plan to reduce the harmful emissions impact we are having in our daily lives and make sure Westport and the wider world continues to be a great place to live for our children and grandchildren.”

The group has already identified four community buildings which will be studied in detail as to how they can reduce their energy use and net climate impact.

“Westport Leisure Park, Westport Train Station, the Quay School and Sharkey Hill Community Centre have all come on board as local models for change. Those buildings will be studied in detail and will get expert advice on accessing SEAI funding to reduce their energy impact and costs,” said Kirkamm. “We will also do the same with a cross-section of homes in the town, thus providing local examples of how we can all do it.”

Transport is also a focus of the group, and the energy master plan will explore this aspect of Westport life.

Group member and local teacher Gearóid Ó Riain explained why this is the case: “As a group, transport is close to our heart. We have a vision of a town that is a beautiful place to live and safe and healthy for people to get around on foot or by bike. It’s the way to go.

“It makes sense on so many levels, not just environmental. We engage more with our neighbours and community when we walk and cycle. We are healthier.

“Our children are happier and healthier when they live a more outdoor life. We can all see how our children have become too sedentary. We want to make it attractive and safe for them to walk or cycle to school, to meet their friends and go to their various activities without being ferried everywhere by Mum or Dad in cars.

“We also know that adults benefit from a more active lifestyle, and we would love to see more and more people ditching the car and taking to foot or bike for the everyday short journeys to the shop or to work and so on.”

Dr. Orla Nic Suibhne is the SEC mentor for Mayo on behalf of SEAI and says that energy master plans are a fantastic opportunity for communities to develop their own low carbon roadmaps for the future.

“They are 100% paid for by SEAI, enabling the development of the plans at no cost to the community. SEAI has a network of over 580 SECs around the country, all at different stages of the energy transition. SECs such as WEST SEC are developing their EMPs and using them to look at opportunities for grant aid to retrofit houses and community buildings, and to embrace sustainable travel models,” she explained.

Ó Riain asserted that now is the time for action. “There is a glaring existential need for us all to adapt how we live, and a palpable momentum on the ground in the community to do so. We invite everyone in our community to take the necessary steps, to get involved, to make the changes now, before it’s too late. We call on all the leaders and decision-makers in our community to show leadership and do likewise.”

Consultation in the Westport community will commence soon and it is envisaged that the plan will be completed and published before the end of the year.