SEI announces 2009 sustainable energy award winners

SEI CEO, Prof Owen Lewis

The retail and telecoms sectors were the big winners at Sustainable Energy Ireland's sixth annual awards in Dublin last Friday, with Dunnes Stores, Heatons, O2 and Eircom each taking awards at the all-island event.

The awards aim to highlight "excellence in business energy management", and this year included entries from over 100 organisations. The top prize, outstanding energy manager of the year, went to Jonathan Pugsley of Leitrim-based door manufacturer Masonite Ireland. The company achieved 30% energy savings across their business in 2009.

Other winners included:

• Telefónica O2 Ireland, who won the award for pioneering renewable energy project for Ireland’s first self-sustaining base station powered by wind and solar power
• Dunnes Stores, who won for inspiring energy awareness campaign following a reduction in electricity use of 17% across all 114 stores nationwide
• The leading energy efficiency project award went to Heatons Dundalk, whose new building uses 45% less electricity and is on target to achieve a 30% reduction in maintenance costs
• Eircom, who won the award for sustainable energy building excellence for their new headquarters in the Heuston Quarter, Dublin

  According to SEI, projects entered demonstrated energy savings of €14 million in total, with an additional €18 million in projected cost savings identified. There was also a jump in the number of smaller businesses entering the awards across multiple sectors this year. SEI estimate that €341m in culmative energy cost savings have been achieved by projects entered since 2004.

“These awards are a welcome encouragement for Irish business, at a time when cost-savings and increased efficiency are at the top of the company agenda," energy minister Eamon Ryan said. "This year’s participants achieved significant reductions in their energy overheads, a pattern which with continued government support, can be replicated right across our business sector. By making relatively simple changes, all Irish businesses can increase their efficiency, reduce their energy consumption and crucially make real financial savings.”

SEI CEO, professor Owein Lewis, added: "In this the sixth year of the energy awards, SEI is particularly pleased at the number and quality of this year’s entries. We saw a marked increase in entries from smaller businesses that are reaping the rewards of energy management. This is further proof that energy efficiency is on the agenda of every business throughout the country regardless of size or sector.”

Further information on the 2009 Sustainable Energy Awards can be found on SEI’s website.

The full list of winners is below:

Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Larger User: Wexford Creamery            
Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Medium User: Semple McKillop Consulting Engineers – St Luke’s Hospital, Armagh City
Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Small User: Heatons Store, Dundalk
Category B: Pioneering Renewable Energy project:  Telefónica O2 Ireland
Category C: Sustainable Energy Building Excellence:  eircom Ltd
Category D: Inspiring Energy Awareness Campaign:  Dunnes Stores
Category E: Excellence in Coordinated Energy Management programme (Large):  Xerox, Dundalk Toner Plant
Category E: Excellence in Coordinated Energy Management programme (Small/Medium): Institute of Technology, Tralee
Category F: Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year (Large): Jonathan Pugsley, Masonite Ireland
Category F: Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year (small/medium):  Paul Boylan, Citi

For more details about the winning entries, click here .