Solar panels help cut energy costs for busy Cork community centre

When its energy bills went through the roof, a Cork community centre joined forces with a leading local firm to install solar panels and put that roof to better use.

The Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre is busy seven days and six nights of the week, facilitating everything from sports and concerts to classes and meetings of various local groups.

Skyrocketing

In operation since 2008, the centre had been prioritising energy efficiency, but with its energy bill skyrocketing, the centre’s committee decided to install solar panels.

Cathal Rasmussen, who is vice chairman of the centre and a county councillor for the Labour Party in Cobh, said the centre had acquired a grant for improvements in the building.

“As part of our assessment, we looked at our energy usage because our electricity bill had gone through the roof, due to the large size of the building.

“We’d always said if we had money, we would like to put some kind of solar energy system in place to plan for the future, reduce our energy costs, and to make the building more efficient,” Mr Rasmussen said.

He said the decision was made to go with Bishopstown-based company Swyft Energy and, once everything was agreed, the project moved quickly to completion.

Export to grid

Swyft Energy installed 30 solar PV (photovoltaic) panels on the roof, and within six weeks, 64% of the centre’s electricity was covered by solar PV.

Within that timeframe, the centre had 291kwh worth of surplus solar-generated electricity to export back to the grid, and was able to earn credit through the feed-in tariff.

“We’re happy that the interventions we’re doing will make the centre far more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly,” Mr Rasmussen said.

Adrian Casey, Swyft Energy CEO and co-founder, said the company had been delighted to help the centre to become more energy efficient.

“Not only does solar PV lessen your carbon footprint but it also significantly reduces your energy bills,” he said.