Dundalk is a global leader in developing eco-friendly communities.  A 4km area of the town has been designated a “sustainable energy zone”.  Over the next 4 years innovative energy efficiency technologies will be developed and installed in industries and homes throughout the zone. Dundalk will showcase this energy efficient lifestyle to the rest of Ireland and wider Europe.

See www.sei.ie/dundalk2020 for more information on Dundalk 2020

What happens in the zone?

• Newly built homes are built to SEI ‘House of Tomorrow’ (HOT) standard  to make them 40% more energy efficient than conventional homes
• Existing low-income housing are refurbished to bring them in line with energy requirements of a conventional home
• SEI works with the educational establishments in the zone (Dundalk Institute of Technology and a secondary school)
• A boiler plant fuelled by locally sourced woodchip provides hot water for homes and businesses
• New street lights are powered by a combination of solar panels and micro wind turbines
• A wind turbine generates renewable energy for industry in the zone

Targets
It’s aimed that by 2010, Dundalk’s Sustainable Energy Zone will have achieved the following:

• an improvement by up to 40% in energy efficiency in selected residential, industrial and commercial buildings in the zone
• renewable sources generating at least 20% of all energy used to heat homes and businesses within the zone
• renewable sources generating at least 20% of all electricity used by businesses within the zone
• These targets will contribute significantly towards Ireland meeting its national targets as set out in the Government’s White Paper on Energy. 

What are the benefits?

• The zone will deliver energy cost-savings for consumers – providing savings on electricity and heating bills, making homes more comfortable and allowing them to make a vital contribution to reducing climate change
• Significant improvements in energy performance in homes, offices, factories, colleges, leisure and shopping facilities, hospitals and other public buildings
• Reduced dependence on foreign imports of oil, coal and gas
• Production of more locally-generated heat and electricity from renewable resources
• Manage energy supplies more effectively
• Environmental benefits by reducing carbon dioxide emissions – emissions from the zone will be reduced by 10,000 tonnes every year from 2010.

For more information visit www.sei.ie