Tipperary Town Sustainable Energy Community (SEC)

The Tipperary Town SEC has achieved great things since its formation by bringing the local community together.

Background

Tipperary Town Revitalisation (TTR) launched in 2020. Their aim is to tackle a range of challenges facing the town, including high unemployment, social deprivation, vacant buildings, and years of underinvestment.

Local stakeholders from business, community and voluntary groups, along with statutory bodies such as Tipperary County Council and Tipperary ETB, came together to form the group. Their goal was to create a strategy for Tipperary Town’s socioeconomic development and drive its implementation. In July 2022—after delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic—they published the Tipperary Town Strategy and Action Plan to 2035.

Within a year, the group joined the SEAI's Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Network. They saw the potential benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy, and recognized how participation could deliver both economic and environmental gains for the community.

Energy Master Plan

In 2022, the group applied for Energy Master Plan (EMP) funding from SEAI. An EMP helps communities analyse their energy demand and supply and map out how to achieve their energy goals.

After developing the town’s core strategy, the team created its Energy Master Plan in partnership with O’Reilly Stuart (ORS Consultants) and with support from SEAI.

They launched the plan at a community event in January 2024, inviting all local stakeholders to join the discussion. ORS presented the Energy Master Plan. Ruth Buggie, former SEC Programme Manager, outlined SEAI’s grant opportunities. Marie O’Donnell from Tipperary County Council’s Climate Action Office and Ita Horan, Local Enterprise Office, also shared insights.

As an SEC, the group envisions a local energy transition that delivers more than environmental benefits. It aims to attract investment, create jobs, and improve quality of life for residents.

The energy efficiency projects

Tipperary Town SEC / TTR have held several events and worked with partners to deliver the below projects.

1. The Greening

The “Greening Tipp Town - Saving Energy and Money in the home, Creating Jobs in the Community” event was held in April 2021. It raised awareness of energy efficiency and available grant supports.

2. Construction Skills Training Centre

In 2021, Tipperary Education and Training Board, opened a Construction Skills Training Centre in the town. It focuses on nearly zero energy building (NZEB) and other carbon-friendly building techniques.

3. ‘Engage in Energy’ project

The SEC is working with the local Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), Children & Young People’s Services Committee (CYPCS) and Ecovision to deliver four pilot projects ‘Engage in Energy’ in Tipperary town and Roscrea.

‘Engage in Energy’ is funded by the The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and by Ecovision under RENPOWER (EU LIFE funding). The project addresses energy poverty through behaviour change and scaled interventions.

Key actions and interventions include:

Energy audits and household support: 40 energy audits will be carried out to identify energy-saving opportunities. Direct support, such as energy-saving tools and grant assistance, was also offered to households.
Community engagement and education: They will host community information sessions and energy-saving clinics. They will provide schools and community groups with Energy Saving Learning Kits to promote energy conservation awareness.

The project partners are currently examining how to follow on this work and scale up the programme to ensure that the local momentum is not lost once the programme concludes

4. Refurbishing landmark buildings

In 2022, TTR led a funding bid with Tipperary County Council. They submitted it to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. They proposed the refurbishment of two landmark buildings in the town centre - former Civic Offices and the former Courthouse and Bridewell. They will be repurposed as community and training facilities. The total investment is circa €10 million.

Funding approval for these projects was in late 2023 and there was some detailed design still to be completed. The construction tender for the first building has just been completed, and we expect to have a contractor on-site in January 2026. The second building will follow in March 2026.

Reusing these landmark buildings will reduce the embodied carbon required in construction. It will also provide vital community infrastructure. It will enhance the town centre and addressing vacancy and dereliction.

5. Tipperary ENGINE Digital hub

The team completed a full energy upgrade of the Tipperary ENGINE Digital Hub—about 4,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space—in early 2023. The project included installing a heat pump and fully insulating the building fabric.

Nephin Renewable Gas moved into the Hub in 2023 and plans to create a significant number of new jobs in the town. The company will roll out a network of commercial-scale BioGas plants across the country from its Tipperary Town base.

The team assessed the building under the EMP and secured refurbishment funding through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. They are now planning a major rooftop solar installation for the building.

What’s next?

The SEC is exploring plans for funding under the SEAI Better Energy Communities programme. These will provide benefits to the wider community and include projects such as:

Several exciting initiatives for local businesses, including: support for door, window, and solar upgrades in the Tipperary Technology Park
A project that delivers energy saving measures for homes not covered by other schemes.
A major regeneration project with Tipperary County Council to refurbish and retrofit public housing in one of rural Ireland’s most disadvantaged areas.
They’re building a strong business case for a major refurbishment of the town’s Swimming Pool and Sports Centre. The plan includes a full energy upgrade—switching from gas to an air-to-water heat pump—and installing a large solar PV system.

The SEC has secured strong local support and forged partnerships with local authorities, state agencies, and community groups. These efforts prove that energy efficiency delivers real benefits. They're not just for the environment, but also through financial savings and job creation.

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