Minister Foley welcomes €81 million in EU funding for school building retrofit

Minster for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced that 40 schools across five counties have been shortlisted for an energy retrofit programme as part of an €81 million EU funding package.

This is part of a package of funding totalling €240 million which Ireland has secured under the REPowerEU Programme. REPowerEU is the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, boost the independence and security of the Union’s energy supply and accelerate the green transition.

A pool of 40 schools across five counties (Kildare, Meath, Offaly, Wicklow and Wexford) have been included in the initial assessment phase. Schools ultimately selected for inclusion in the programme will be given a deep retrofit to achieve a Building Energy Rating (BER) of at least B by installing heatpumps, LED lighting and mechanical heat recovery ventilation. The fabric and airtightness of the schools will also be upgraded and electric car chargers will be installed.

Minister Foley said:

“I am pleased to announce that the Department of Education has been successful in obtaining such a significant level of funding through this REPowerEU programme.

“I welcome that forty schools have been shortlisted for inclusion in this Programme. The schools approved for an energy retrofit will enjoy significantly better energy performance and a more comfortable teaching and learning environment.”

The €81 million funding to the Department of Education represents the largest of the five investments included in Ireland’s funding allocation for its National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It will add to the number of schools being given deep retrofits under the existing school pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme.

Minister Foley said:

“It is really positive to see the results of the extensive collaboration between my department, the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Commission in having this formally adopted through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.”

The schools which will benefit from the retrofitting funding were part of a pilot phase of the Schools Energy Inventory project. This project covered schools in Kildare, Meath, Offaly, Wicklow and Wexford. It was completed with support from the European Investment Bank.

In developing the Schools Energy Inventory, each school is surveyed by an experienced construction professional using a survey tool developed by the Department of Education. Up to 130 pieces of data are collected at each school, including high level building areas and types of different fabric elements and information about lighting, heating and domestic hot water etc.

This data is entered on a tablet computer onsite, imported into the department’s Geographical Information System (GIS), then processed into a relational database which performs numerous calculations to determine a School Energy and Carbon Estimated Rating (SEACER).

The funding announced today will facilitate completion of the energy survey of all schools in the 21 remaining counties.

This consolidated database has significant potential to assist with future prioritisation of decarbonisation and investments in the school estate, enabling identification and targeted development of future school sector energy and decarbonisation programmes that will reduce overall reliance on fossil fuels and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy.

The new funding for the extended pathfinder programme is targeted at schools of a scale and size that will enable the works to be completed over a single school term/summer holiday period. This means that the schools selected for inclusion are typically eight to ten-classroom primary schools and post-primary schools with similar floor area.

While 40 schools across the five counties have been selected for initial assessment, final decisions on schools to be included in the programme will take account of a range of factors, including the scope of works required in the individual school following detailed assessment by design teams, procurement considerations, and the need to remain within both budgetary and time parameters.

List of schools included in the Initial Assessment Phase of the RePowerEU Extended Pathfinder Programme

Roll_Number	School_Name	Address	Town	County
13165G	KILBERRY N S	Kilberry	Athy	Kildare
16654N	S N BRIGHDE	Milltown	Newbridge	Kildare
17567A	ALMHAINE N S	Kilmeague	Naas	Kildare
17650K	S N IDE	Kilmead	Athy	Kildare
18430B	S N BAILE ROIBEAIRD	Robertstown	Co. Kildare	Kildare
20087D	KILLASHEE MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL NS	KILCULLEN ROAD	NAAS	Kildare
70670R	Colaiste Lorcain	Castledermot	Kildare	Co. Kildare
19797E	SCOIL NAISIUNTA BHRIDE	Prosperous Road	Clane	Kildare
12488C	GILSON NATIONAL SCHOOL	Church Street	Oldcastle	Meath
17088L	Scoil Uí Ghramhnaigh	Ráth Chairn	Áth Buí	Meath
17652O	SCOIL OILIBHEIR NAOFA	Kilcloon	Meath
17741N	SCOIL NAIS AITINN BHUI	Beauparc	Navan	Meath
17947K	SCOIL NAOMH BRIDE	Batterstown	Trim	Meath
18040L	S N NAOMH PADRAIG	Collon Road	Slane	Meath
18448U	S N RATH BEAGAIN	Rathbeggan	Dunshaughlin	Meath
71991T	Coláiste Pobail Rath Cairn	Ráth Chairn	Áth Buí	Meath
03220F	MERCY PRIMARY SCHOOL	Chapel Lane	Birr	Offaly
12343W	SHINRONE MIXED N S	Shinrone	Birr	Offaly
13118U	CLARA CONVENT N S	Kilbeggan	Road Clara	Offaly
17508H	S N NAOMH CHOLUMCHILLE	DURROW	TULLAMORE	Offaly
18364O	St Patrick's National School	Gilroy Avenue	Edenderry	Offaly
20289P	St. Cynoc's National School	Ferbane	Co. Offaly	Offaly
65620V	Sacred Heart Secondary School	Daingean Road	Tullamore	Offaly
09191I	GEASHILL N S	Geashill	Co. Offaly	Offaly
06959G	CLONROCHE N S	Clonroche	Enniscorthy	Wexford
14254K	S N MHUIRE	Danescastle	Carrig-on-Bannow	Wexford
16879O	S N CLOCHAR MHUIRE	Rosslare	Co. Wexford	Wexford
17235V	S N CHAOMHAIN TORRCHOILL (St Kevins Tarahill)	GOREY	CO WEXFORD	Wexford
17554O	S N NMH SEOSAIMH	Hilltown	Ballymitty	Wexford
17812K	ST MARYS N S	Parnell Avenue	Enniscorthy	Wexford
19266T	OUR LADY OF FATIMA SP S	CARRIGEEN STREET	WEXFORD	Wexford
63630O	Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School	Rosbercon	New Ross Wexford
15676S	PADRAIG NAOFA N S	St Patricks Road	Wicklow	Wicklow
17223O	S N MUIRE IS GEARARD	St. Mary's & St. Gerard's NS	Enniskerry	Wicklow
17810G	S N Nicolais Naofa	DUNLUAIN	CILL MHANTAIN	Wicklow
18033O	KILCOMMON N S	Kilcommon	Tinahely	Wicklow
18242A	CARNEW N S	Carnew	Arklow	Wicklow
19754J	BRAY SCHOOL PROJECT N S	BALLYWALTRIM	Bray	Wicklow
20469R	St John's Senior School	Coolgreaney Road	Arklow	Wicklow
70750P	Scoil Chonglais	Baltinglass	Co Wicklow	Wicklow

Note for Editors

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) entered into force on 19 February 2021. It finances reforms and investments in EU Member States made from the start of the pandemic in February 2020 until 31 December 2026. Countries can receive financing up to a previously agreed maximum amount.
REPowerEU is the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, boost the independence and security of the Union’s energy supply and accelerate the green transition.
REPowerEU will be financed via the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
To benefit from support under the Facility, EU governments have submitted national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs), outlining the reforms and investments they will implement by end-2026, with clear milestones and targets. Member State Plans were required to allocate at least 37% of their budget to green measures and 20% to digital measures.
The RRF is performance-based. This means that the Commission only pays out the amounts to each Member State when they have achieved and verified the agreed milestones and targets towards completing the reforms and investments included in their plan.
Ireland’s overall RRF allocation is €914 million and consists of 13 investments, 9 reforms and their 105 associated milestones and targets. Payment is contingent upon both the achievement of the milestones and targets and supporting evidence to verify that achievement within each payment instalment.
The overall objective of Ireland’s NRRP is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery effort, in a manner that complements and supports the Government’s broader recovery efforts.
The RRF allocation will be paid to Ireland in instalments. This payment request covers a total of 40 milestones and targets and amounts to €324 million.
These milestones and targets include investments in jobs and skills through the work placement experience programme, the commencement of retrofit works under the Public Sector Buildings' Energy Retrofit Programme, the signature of the contract for the building of the Government data centre, the connection of schools to the broadband network and work to enable the future electrification of public transport in Cork.
This payment request also includes a series of reforms including reform on climate action, addressing the digital divide through a new digital strategy for schools and providing disadvantaged students with ICT equipment, reducing regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship by introducing an ‘SME test’ in new legislation, and also a suite of reforms in areas such as pensions, housing and health.
REPowerEU is the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, boost the independence and security of the Union’s energy supply and accelerate the green transition. REPowerEU will be financed via the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
The Irish REPowerEU programme has been developed to draw down our €240 million allocation (€90 million REPowerEU allocation plus and additional €150 million transferred from Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund (BAR)). Ireland’s REPowerEU programme, agreed by Government in February, consists of five investments and one reform.

Project Name	Department / Project Lead
Investments
Upscaling a Biomethane Industry in Ireland	Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine
Drogheda Charging Infrastructure	Department of Transport
HSE Pilot Energy & Decarbonisation Pathfinder	Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Expanded School Sector Pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit Programme	Department of Education
Restoration and Refurbishment of 6 Ely Place	Office of Public Works
Reform
Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS)	Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications

Ireland’s modified NRRP, including the REPowerEU chapter, is now worth €1.15 billion (in grants) and covers 18 investments and 10 reforms.
RRF projects are pre-funded through the estimates processes and the National Development Plan with RRF allocated funding being recouped from the EU after the milestones and targets have been achieved and verified.

More information can be found the Government and European Commission websites at:

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/d4939-national-recovery-and-resilience-plan-2021/ and

https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/irelands-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en