Sustainable energy communities are supporting households who want to retrofit their homes. Photograph: MTStock Studio/Getty Images
Most of us don’t think about energy day to day, other than what it costs us. We rely on it to be there when we need it to power and heat our homes, businesses and communities.
When we do take time to look at our bills and energy equipment such as boilers and appliances, it’s not always clear how to make changes.
It can seem daunting to understand what produces our electricity and heat, how to use less of it and how we can move away from using polluting fossil fuels.
Increasing extreme weather events across Europe mean prolonged power outages are no longer unthinkable, as Ireland experienced after Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
There is both an awakening to the importance of energy in our daily lives and a recognition of our vulnerabilities when it is not readily available to us. Communities in Ireland and across Europe are trying to do something about energy where they live.
To date more than 1,000 communities around Ireland have registered with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to become sustainable energy communities (SECs).
While not all are currently active, we know that 185 SECs
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