Kilkenny Cathaoirleach urges people to be an energy detective with Home Energy Saving Kit

Kilkenny people are being urged to test out a Home Energy Saving Kit which is available to borrow from Kilkenny libraries.

Climate change is a hot topic and while people want to play our part, it’s sometimes difficult to know what we can do to make a lasting impact.  One small action that has the potential to reap huge rewards is to investigate home energy usage. 

In 2018, two libraries in Kilkenny piloted Home Energy Saving Kits and as they proved very popular, Kilkenny County Council purchased a kit for every library branch, an action set under the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024. 

The kit helps people to get a better understanding of the energy usage in your home, identifies problem areas that may need your attention and suggest ways to improve energy efficiency.  These kits are now available to borrow in every library branch in the county.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Andrew McGuinness took time out of his busy schedule to launch the Home Energy Saving Kit in the City library and he got stuck into the guide book which explained how to use each gadget taking particular interest in the thermal leak detector. 

“The kit is a practical way to explore energy usage and with the average Irish household is spending over €2,000 on household energy bills annually, anything to identify how to conserve energy in the home will have a lasting impact on the household budget with a positive knock on impact for the environment,” said the Cathaoirleach.

Dublin's Energy Agency, Codema developed the Home Energy Saving Kit, it comes in a compact briefcase and is accompanied by worksheet and a guide.  Codema provides online tutorials and on December 10, Codema will host an online event which includes a presentation from their Energy & Climate Awareness Officer who will talk about energy saving in the home with the Home Energy Saving Kit, providing a perfect opportunity to hear about the benefits of borrowing one of the kits from your local library. For further details of the online event go to www.codema.ie.

Bernadette Moloney, the Environmental Awareness Officer with Kilkenny County Council commented that using energy saving measures can reduce your energy bill.

“By implementing easy energy saving measures, you could reduce your energy bill by up to 20% while improving the comfort of your home and I was delighted to organise the additional kits for the library branches.  The tools in the kit are easy-to-use, providing an interactive and tangible way to introduce the concept of energy usage into your home and a perfect way to get the whole family involved.  I would encourage schools to borrow the kit as well as Tidy Town representatives, as it could easily form a project under the competitions sustainability category."

The Home Energy Saving Kits are available from each library across the county, and can be borrowed for a two-week period. For more information contact your local library.