Cork County Council this week became the first local authority in Ireland to be fully accredited to ISO50001, the international standard for energy management.
In achieving this accreditation, the council has now reached its legislative requirements under the EU Energy Efficiency Regulations 2014 ahead of schedule.
These Regulations oblige all public sector bodies falling within certain specified criteria to carry out comprehensive organisation-wide energy audits or become ISO 50001 compliant by June 2016.
In receiving this award, Cork County Council is the first and only local authority in the country to achieve this highly significant recognition and accreditation for its whole of service energy management system which has considerable positive implications for energy saving and carbon emissions long-term.
Acknowledging his colleagues achievements, chief executive Tim Lucey said: “Streamlining our services and minimising our carbon footprint is top of the mind for all of us as we face into the future, therefore this ISO 50001 accreditation is a significant achievement for any local authority given the diversity of services they are required to offer, not least for County Cork, Ireland’s largest county.”
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr John Paul O’Shea, said how delighted he was to again witness first hand ‘Cork County Council’s commitment to innovation’.
“In achieving this international accreditation our county is again leading the way for local authorities across the country and I commend all involved for the great work done to date,” he said.
