INTERVIEW u Energia
The EPS Mallow head office and Centre for Design and Manufacturing Excellence.
Patrick Buckley, Managing Director of EPS
See how EPS reduced its carbon footprint and saved 5.1 megawatt hours of energy with Energia’s Cash For Kilowatts scheme
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ounded upon 53 years of operating experience, EPS Group has grown from a relatively small electrical and pumping
services business in Kanturk, Co. Cork to an international exporting group, now focused upon the water and wastewater and clean technology sectors. The company offers water and wastewater pumping and treatment services to markets in Ireland and the UK, while also exports globally for one-off or strategic projects. EPS recently approached Energia about an
energy efficiency upgrade. Here, Patrick Buckley, Managing Director of EPS, tells us more…
Q: Why did you approach Energia? Patrick Buckley: EPS has been employing energy efficiency and energy reduction schemes for over 20 years, but we have begun a process of reassessment to reset our journey. Energia was already providing EPS with 100 per cent renewable electricity across our branches and sites, it was the next logical step to explore what other measures we could make to continue towards our goal of being a Net Zero business. During 2022, we will determine and launch our next phase; setting out our plan and targets for the next decades of our journey to Net Zero.
Q: What type of upgrade did EPS have with Cash for Kilowatts? PB: Energy – water and wastewater pump replacement schemes; modifications, enhancement of pumping systems and the use of optimised VSD (variable speed drive) technologies and network control. Aeration upgrades with enhanced blower aeration technology.
Q: How was the paperwork and grant application? PB: Energia and our account managers made the process very straightforward. They did the heavy lifting on that front, which was much appreciated!
12 March 2022 Irish Manufacturing
Q: How did you find the end-to-end process and timeline? PB: We found the process working with Energia quite seamless. We have an excellent relationship with our Energia account managers and project managers, who we worked with every step of the way to ensure the whole process ran as smoothly as possible. Our Energy Manager, Jerome O’Sullivan, did an excellent job managing the project on behalf of EPS.
Q: Has EPS business noticed a difference in your energy costs and carbon footprint since the upgrade? PB: Absolutely – our participation in the Cash for Kilowatts scheme has already saved 5.1megawatt hours – the equivalent of turning off 500,000 lightbulbs!
Q: Has the work completed been part of a larger energy efficiency/carbon footprint reduction strategy? PB: EPS has a long history of employing energy efficiency and energy reduction schemes for over 20 years and in 2021, we published our first annual Sustainability Report. In 2015, we won the SEAI Leadership Award for helping voluntary groups secure €1.93 million for energy projects.
In a project titled Community Energy
Performance Solutions (CEPS), EPS has assisted community groups and businesses in Cork, Kerry and Limerick to secure funding towards various projects aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of these organisations. This resulted in the installation of many energy efficient projects such as lighting, boilers and insulation. We also introduced some schemes to benefit our employees, such as the Better Energy Home Salary Incentive Scheme (BEHSIS) as an incentive to encourage employees to improve the energy performance of their homes. On average, each employee who participated received approximately €6,000 worth of energy upgrades, of which 50 per cent was funded through subsidies.
Q: What advice would you give to a business considering an energy efficiency upgrade? PB: Go for it! You have nothing to lose, everything to gain and you can play your part in making your business, country and the world a more sustainable one. Approach Energia to see if Cash for Kilowatts can be as successful for you as it has been for us.
Q: Would you be happy to recommend Cash for Kilowatts? PB: Absolutely – no matter the nature of your business, by working collectively we can make a difference and Cash for Kilowatts is a scheme that can be adopted by businesses of any shape or size.
Cash For Kilowatts is Energia’s energy efficiency funding scheme that can help your business reduce its energy usage by up to 20 per cent.
Joe Browne, EPS Operator and recipient of a Renault electric van; Patrick Buckley, MD of EPS; and Jerome O’Sullivan, Energy Manager at EPS.
Energia www.energia.
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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