The biggest energy users in Ireland saved around €12.4 million (£10.5m) in 2018 as a result of implementing energy efficiency measures.

That’s according to latest figures from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which found the reduction in carbon emissions achieved was equivalent to taking more than 23,000 petrol or diesel cars off the roads.

The SEAI’s Large Industry Energy Network is made up of 190 companies with annual energy bills of €1 million (£0.85m) or more – it includes food and drink companies like Diageo and the Kerry Group, pharmachem firms like Astellas Ireland, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer as well as technology companies like Google and Microsoft.

They collectively employ around 134,000 people and account for one fifth of the total primary energy use in the country.

SEAI’s annual review showed “continued improvement” in energy performance against a backdrop of business growth, with network members collectively avoiding 327GWh of energy consumption in 2018.

A total of 247 energy saving projects were implemented, which helped save 65,800 tonnes of carbon emissions.

PharmaChem companies saw a 15% improvement in energy efficiency in 2018 compared to the year before while the electronics sector recorded an overall energy efficiency improvement of more than 2.7%.

More than 40% of the network members are certified to the international energy management standard, ISO 50001 and in total have achieved average annual energy performance gains of 1.8% over the last five years, delivering further savings and reductions in emissions.

Fergus Sharkey, SEAI Head of Business and Public Sector said: “The results of this review are further evidence that investing in energy efficiency is as much a good businesses decision as it is a socially responsible one.

“As large energy users, the members of our network are achieving significant, long-term savings through an enhanced understanding and management of their energy needs. These businesses have an imperative to grow so is very positive to see a decoupling of productivity and energy consumption in some sectors.”

Source: Energy Live News