Almost half of Irish businesses say cost is the main barrier to cutting carbon footprint

Irish businesses say they are committed to climate targets, but there remains a large gap in knowledge in how to achieve them, a survey has found.

SSE Airtricity's Green Business Sentiment Index found that although 85% of businesses in Ireland consider themselves environmentally friendly, almost half do not know if their energy is renewable or not, while almost a third do not know what retrofitting is.

Retrofitting is defined as adding new technology or features to older systems, such as energy-efficient equipment to homes and businesses such as heat pumps, instead of traditional fossil fuel-based systems. It is seen as an essential part of the Government's plan to reduce emissions by retrofitting hundreds of thousands of homes in the coming decades.

Renewable energy comes from a source such as wind or solar power that is not depleted when it is used, as happens to fossil fuels such as oil. 

In the survey, some 47% of Irish businesses still see cost as the main hurdle in reducing their carbon footprint, and 78% feel Government supports would help influence them in considering retrofitting.

Two-thirds of businesses are aware of the Government’s 2030 target for a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but just one in four believe that target can be achieved, it found.

When it comes to workplace practices, 35% have a cycle-to-work policy, up by five percentage points from a year ago, while 68% of companies use keep-cups and reusable packaging, which is down by five points. 

The 38% that have incorporated retrofitting into their premises remains unchanged from July 2020, but 14% have incorporated electric vehicles into their company, up three points.

SSE Airtricity managing director Klair Neenan said there was clear progress across a number of areas of Irish businesses. 

Meanwhile, the Irish Solar Energy Association has slammed the decision by the Government to delay the RESS 2 auction — a State-backed scheme that encourages renewable energy projects to bid for contracts.

The first RESS auction took place last year, but the next will not be until 2022.

The commitment was for an annual auction — this has not been delivered. 

"This is undermining the Government’s supposed commitment to climate, and can only have a negative impact on the country’s ability to meet climate-change obligations.”