Gort – a connected town, Video funded by Creative Ireland
Gort Energy Webinar Workshop 2020
Gort Energy Webinar Workshop took place in a COVID-compliant format, on-line and in Sullivan’s Royal Hotel in Gort on 2 December.
Since its inception in 2017, a collaboration between Galway County Council, Baile (ICOMOS Ireland’s Small Towns and Villages NSC) and Burren Lowlands with other groups in Gort has worked to acknowledge, celebrate and promote the uniqueness of the town and to display and conserve the history written in its streets and buildings, by focusing on the issues affecting the fortunes of the town.
The Gort Energy Webinar Workshop was an extension to this collaboration. Originally intended as a series of demonstration projects, the on-line webinar was adapted to:
- explore the issues faced by the owners and occupiers of the traditional and historic buildings in Gort, – with a view to providing technical assistance and demonstrations in the future.
- identify ways of improving the quality of the accommodation, so that it is fit for purpose in the 21st century.
- is sustainable – meets the challenges laid down by our Green Energy commitments to help address climate change.
- protect the historic fabric that contributes to Gort’s special sense of place;
- highlight the opportunity provided by the SEAI Sustainable Communities (SEC) Project, and encourage a collaborative funding application for an SEAI funded Energy Masterplan and Energy Enhancement project in Gort
Presentations:
Four speakers introduced the town and some of the issues of energy performance faced by buildings in most small Irish towns, the SEAI Sustainable Energy Community initiative, a case study of an exemplary energy upgrade of a public building and options and issues to be addressed in the future; these were followed by an open discussion amongst the 26 attendees.
The workshop was followed by the LAUNCH of a video: Gort – a connected town, funded by Creative Ireland and presented above.
Gort Energy Upgrading Pilot Project 2021 – 2022
2021 has marked the start of a further project phase: the Gort Energy Upgrading Pilot Project, which is projected to run through 2021 and 2022. The initial (2021) phase of the project has involved the identification of five participating buildings, which have been surveyed, to establish their condition and current energy rating. This will enable the identification of essential repair works which must be undertaken prior to any energy upgrading works. Thereafter, during 2022, suitable energy upgrading proposals will be identified and their impact on their energy performance modelled incrementally. This approach is intended to allow homeowners to understand the impact of various works and to select the most cost-effective suite of interventions for their home and budget. No obligation is incurred by participating homeowners to undertake the upgrades.
PDFs/downloads:
UPenn_International Framework in an Irish Context
UPenn_Gort A Study of Development Potential