Mitchelstown Credit Union have been undertaking a major retrofitting upgrade over the past few years and this week, work began on insulating the 25-year old building, both in the walls and in the attic. While the limestone walls of the building are not part of a protected structure, the insulation work being completed by local firm Solastech will be injected from the interior of the building to protect the integrity and appearance of the exterior walls.
This work is part of a sustainability project in the building which is being undertaken piecemeal, says CEO of Mitchelstown Credit Union, Colin Irwin. While the LED lights and fittings of the building have already been upgraded and the air conditioning systems improved, PV panels for the roof are planned for the next 12 months, after the insulation work is complete.
“There’s no legal impetus on us to do this upgrade work, but we have a social responsibility. We’re investing in doing what we can to lower our carbon footprint. There is an element of environmental and social governance, and a responsibility to the generation who are yet to be born’.
The whole project is being overseen by local energy consultant Tom O’Flynn, who is familiar with the building having also worked on the ‘new’ Credit Union when it was built 25 years ago on Lower Cork Street. Hiring local where possible is important to the organisation, says Colin, who had the LED work done by local electrician Padraig Russell.
“We operate under the co-op model. We’re spreading the work out, as the work is being done from the profits of the credit union. This way we’re spreading the costs and being prudent. There’s no point in doing all the work at once; it’s the same with our IT systems. We upgrade bit-by-bit”.
Tom O’Flynn, who met with The Avondhu onsite on Tuesday afternoon, explains that with any building, the walls, floors, windows and doors need to be addressed before any other measures, as there is ‘no point’ in putting in something like PV panels if the insulation is not done. To that end, PV panels will come next to further modernise the building.
The size and scale of these panels will be considered against the building’s electricity bills for the previous 12-24 months, and then a decision made on the best and most sensible amount of space to devote to the technology. As an aside, Mr O’Flynn helpfully corrects the use of the term ‘solar panels’: where solar depends on sunlight, PV panels depend on daylight.
The work being done by the credit union in-situ reflects how customers approach the ‘Greenify’ home energy loan offering, where Colin says people generally prefer to use the loan to do work to their house bit-by-bit, upgrading a heat-pump first and then looking at other elements of their home afterwards.
“We’re on the journey with them for the last four years. We’ve held lectures in The Firgrove Hotel and we’re doing what we can to educate people”.
