Galway City Council has applied to the European Commission for €1.5 million in funding for carbon reduction initiatives over a two-year period.

If successful, Galway will be one of 30 ‘Net Zero Pilot Cities’ in Europe, working across different areas to reduce carbon emissions – the Council expects to hear results of the application next February.

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 commits Ireland to reach a legally binding target of net-zero emissions no later than 2050, and a cut of 51% by 2030.

The Council’s goal as part of the Pilot Cities application is to vastly reduce carbon emissions, focusing on the built environment, and specifically on the retrofit of buildings.

According to the Council, the pilot will focus on addressing “systemic barriers to rapid retrofitting in Galway, including lack of skilled contractors; high upfront cost of retrofitting; lack of awareness of existing incentives; long administrative and bureaucratic processes; and apathy of residents to retrofit”.

Mayor Clodagh Higgins said: “The key goal of the pilot project in Galway City is to increase the number of retrofitted buildings. The pilot proposes a ‘Retrofit Accelerator Programme’ to upskill contractors, incorporate learnings from post-retrofit performance management, and support behavioural change to increase people’s engagement around retrofitting.”

Brendan McGrath, Chief Executive of the Council explained that the Baseline Emissions Inventory for Galway City – which documents energy use for residential, commercial, transport etc – found that emissions from residential buildings constituted 34% of the overall emissions here in 2018.

“In response to this, Galway is already taking part in the National Building Retrofit Pathfinder Programme and has partnered with SEAI to provide various funding schemes to facilitate retrofit implementation. However, this pilot project would help us accelerate this work, and to place Galway in a leadership role on the path to decarbonisation. It will also mean more efficient homes, and lower costs for householders,” said Mr McGrath.