Client Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board
Location County Wexford, Ireland
Leading decarbonisation pathways for secondary schools in County Wexford
About the project
Six secondary schools in Wexford County - Coláiste Abbain Adamstown, Coláiste An Atha Kilmuckridge, Enniscorthy Community College, Gorey Community School, St Peters Wexford, and Kennedy College New Ross - are embarking on a major decarbonisation push in order to drastically reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
This comes in response to new legislation in Ireland that has legally mandated a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in line with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.
IN2 were appointed to design and facilitate the decarbonisation strategy of these six schools, with bespoke strategies agreed on for all six sites depending on current facilities and capabilities. It was agreed that heat pumps would be installed at the Coláiste Abbain Adamston, Coláiste An Atha Kilmuckridge, Kennedy College New Ross sites. These heat pumps operate within the district heating network and heat the buildings with air alone. IN2’s full M&E services concluded that heat pumps would provide the lead source of heat with a back-up gas system to fill any demand gaps that the heat pumps might not be able to cover during peak times.
The Enniscorthy CC, Gorey CS, and St Peters Wexford sites will be fitted with biomass boilers. These immense structures - finding space for which proved extremely challenging - utilise wood chips to generate heat and come equipped with a pellet silo that can store up to 12 tonnes of wood pellets. As well as the in-depth analysis conducted to decide on the biomass boiler strategy, IN2 are also responsible for the biomass SSRH applications for each individual site.
The Wexford Biomass Bundle project marks a major step towards decarbonisation in Ireland, and IN2’s M&E expertise contribution means that these schools will reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions by 51% and set an example for other institutions who need to do the same.
