Earlier today, Bray Fire Station was officially launched as Wicklow County Council’s first fully decarbonised building by Cathaoirleach Cllr. Paul O’Brien alongside Taoiseach Simon Harris. Leas Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District Cllr. Erika Doyle also joined in the proceedings alongside other distinguished guests and staff from Wicklow County Council, who were involved in the project.
Wicklow County Council identified Bray Fire Station as one of the largest fossil fuel users in their building stock. Developing on energy measures completed over the previous 3 years, the Energy Office proposed a window replacement, new appliance bay doors and a complete overhaul of the heating system including a renewable air to water heat pump, new radiators and pipework.
A project delivery team was established in order to develop this project; the team was made up of representatives from the Mid-East Energy Unit, Energy Office and Wicklow Fire Service. Creating Wicklow County Council’s first fully decarbonised building removed the requirement for natural gas heating. The project will reduce the energy use in Bray Fire Station by 60%, while also reducing direct carbon emissions by 100%. The measures carried out have improved the building energy rating from E1 to B1.
This project was delivered with support from the SEAI Pathfinder Programme and Mid-East Energy Unit led by Wicklow County Council. The Mid-East Energy Unit consists of four local authorities Wicklow, Meath, Louth and Kildare County Councils. The unit was established to support the delivery of the 2030 public sector decarbonisation targets for the four local authorities.
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Cllr. Paul O’Brien commenting at the launch said, “This project demonstrates best practice in reducing carbon emissions and decarbonisation of the council’s building stock. It also builds capacity for the four local authorities in the region and allow for scalable models for future projects.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “I’m proud to be in my home county today to officially open the refurbished fire station here in Bray as the first decarbonised building within the county. I am delighted to see Wicklow County Council leading the way with decarbonisation initiatives such as this one which will contribute to our efforts to reduce emissions and reach our climate goals. I want to thank all of you involved in this project which will provide a model of best practice for other services to replicate across the country. I also want to pay tribute to our fire-fighter personnel here who are so dedicated to serving their communities every day.”
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman commented, “The delivery of this project will assist Wicklow County Council in meeting their 2030 energy and carbon reduction targets, I would like to thank the SEAI Pathfinder team for their support in the delivery of this project.”
Leas Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District Cllr. Erika Doyle said, “I’m delighted to be here today for the launch of Bray Fire Station as the first decarbonised building within the county. It is a wonderful achievement and behalf of my fellow Elected Members we offer our congratulations to all involved in such a worthwhile project.”
Building on the work carried out in Bray Fire Station, Wicklow County Council will continue their decarbonisation journey through the identification and delivery of decarbonisation projects to meet their commitment to the 2030 targets.