Galway

Galway is a lively coastal city on the west coast of Ireland, known for its strong cultural identity, colorful streets, and vibrant arts scene. Often called the cultural heart of Ireland, it blends traditional Irish music, historic landmarks like Spanish Arch, and a youthful energy driven by its large student population from University of Galway. Galway sits along the Atlantic Ocean, giving it dramatic coastal scenery and a reputation for frequent rain, while festivals such as Galway International Arts Festival showcase its creative spirit throughout the year.

Improving energy efficiency in buildings is a top priority for Galway on the road to net zero and the focus of the Pilot activities. The City Council focused on retrofitting public buildings and social housing, but the decarbonisation of private buildings remains a major challenge. The goal of the Pilot activities is to address systemic barriers across the entire retrofitting value chain in Galway, tackling demand and supply challenges. The Pilot activities will do so by engaging citizens, energy cooperatives, local education and training bodies, city, regional and national government officials, and research institutes in novel ways to accelerate the retrofitting process and increase the energy efficiency of homes in Galway. There is a national scheme to facilitate 500,000 retrofits by 2030 but the scheme has thus far fallen well short of its target.

Ireland’s ambitious retrofitting goals are being held back by a lack of awareness, insufficient contractors, significant upfront costs and an overly bureaucratic process. Galway will pilot activities to address these and showcase how local authorities can overcome challenges to reaching climate and retrofitting goals. The main activities will involve increasing awareness of retrofitting programmes and benefits through community outreach, providing support to homeowners across the entire retrofitting timeline, and offering training courses and incentive schemes to build a highly skilled workforce that can meet the retrofit demand in Galway. Additionally, administrative and policy barriers to retrofitting will be addressed by introducing a Quadruple Helix Steering Group with a mandate to introduce reforms.