Savings of €23 million were made by organisations entering this year’s Sustainable Energy Awards, with a further €13 million in savings projected over the coming years. Hosted by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and sponsored by ESB Electric Ireland, the eighth annual Awards, saw all business sectors recognised for their efforts in reducing energy use and CO2 emissions.

The Sustainable Energy Awards reward excellence in energy management by organisations of all sizes and this year attracted 105 entries. The coveted 'Energy Manager of the Year' Award was won by Micheál Cassidy of Astellas Ireland, Killorglin, Co. Kerry. Micheál, appointed as Energy Manager in 2006, has led a team in implementing a strategic approach to energy management by the pharmaceutical company which has yielded almost 7 million kWh in energy savings in the past five years.

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One very interesting project came from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) who received a special award for its work in optimising plane routes to cut distances travelled by 2.2 million kilometres, saving 16 million litres of airline fuel per annum. The IAA’s strategy is now being implemented by other air authorities, including the Maastricht Air Traffic Control Centre which controls traffic over Germany, Holland and the Benelux countries.

Other notable winners included: Green Isle Foods (Co. Sligo), winner of the Energy Efficiency Award (Small / Medium User) for its heat recovery project and plant upgrades delivering 18% energy savings; GlaxoSmithKline (Cork), winner of the Integrated Energy Management Award (Major User) for its 90 day energy management plan which has delivered 20% energy savings; and Tralee Town Council, winner of the Energy Sustainability in the Built Environment Award for its Mitchel's Boherbee community regeneration project which has cut residents’ energy bills by 37%. Cylon Active Energy won the Sustainable Energy Innovation Award for its pioneering energy bureau service based on a cloud computing platform.

(CD)