Guides
Plain answers for Irish businesses.
ISO 50001, in plain English
ISO 50001 is the international standard for an energy management system. It does not tell you how much energy to use. It tells you to know, to plan, and to keep checking.
Read the guideWhat monitoring actually finds
Every building has a bill it never questions. Monitoring is how you find out what is in it.
Read the guideMandatory energy audits, explained
Large companies in Ireland have had to audit their energy use every four years since 2014. The rules are now changing so that what counts is how much energy you use, not how many people you employ.
Read the guideWhat an energy audit costs in Ireland
For most small and medium businesses, nothing out of pocket. The SEAI voucher is €2,000, and the SEAI's own analysis says that covers an in-depth audit for a business spending up to €50,000 a year on energy.
Read the guideHow hotels cut energy costs
Most hotels can take a real slice off their energy bill without touching guest comfort. The savings are in plant, schedules and controls, and the hard part is seeing them.
Read the guideHow restaurants and bars cut energy costs
In a restaurant, refrigeration and the cooking line run the bill. Both waste energy quietly, and refrigeration that is failing costs you twice: once in power, again in stock.
Read the guideBusiness electricity costs in Ireland
Switching supplier changes the price of each unit. It does nothing about how many units you use, or the charges that come from how you use them. That is where the larger, lasting savings are.
Read the guideThe SEAI solar grant for businesses
The SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen scheme pays towards solar PV for businesses, farms and public bodies, up to €162,600 for a 1 MWp system. The grant is only half the question. The other half is sizing the system to the power you actually use.
Read the guidePower factor correction, explained
If your electricity bill has a line for reactive power or low power factor, you are paying for power that does no useful work. It is one of the few charges you can remove almost completely.
Read the guideISO 50001 vs ISO 14001
ISO 14001 covers your whole environmental impact. ISO 50001 covers energy, in much more depth. They share the same structure, so many businesses run them together.
Read the guide