This document discusses supporting energy communities to lead societal transformation towards a zero carbon future in Ireland. It outlines some existing SEAI programs that support communities, including Sustainable Energy Communities, Better Energy Communities, and Renewable Energy Communities. It envisions communities having access to reliable funding and resources to undertake local climate action projects that provide enduring community benefits. Key challenges discussed include building local capacity, achieving consensus on climate priorities, and balancing structured models with flexibility. Important research areas include appropriate community roles, financial instruments, and ensuring an inclusive people-first approach.

1. www.seai.ie
National Energy
Research and Policy
Conference 2022
Societal Transformation

2. www.seai.ie
Daire McCoy
Programme Manager, Behavioural Economics Unit, SEAI
Encouraging sustainable
decision-making

3. 3 www.seai.ie
What is behavioural economics and why do we need it?
• BE draws insights from economics, psychology,
neuroscience and other disciplines to study how
decisions are made
• People often make “sub-optimal” decisions both for
themselves and for society
IEA: nearly two-thirds (63%) of energy
reduction required to reach net-zero will
require some element of behavioural change (!)
?

4. Using behavioural economics at SEAI
4 www.seai.ie
Understanding how
people think about
energy
Pre-testing policy
tools & solutions
Field-testing policy
solutions, scaling,
and measuring
impact
Designing policy
through a
behaviourally
informed lens

5. SEAI’s main target behaviours
5 www.seai.ie

6. Encouraging heat pump uptake
6 www.seai.ie
Early trial results
Need for a targeted approach
Assess barriers and
drivers for this group
• Conduct installer
interviews - held
semi-structured
interviews with 12
representative
installers
• Assess WTP of
homeowners
• Message framing impacts
response rate but not uptake
• 32k letters and 3 applications!
• Identify Oil-heated homes with HLI ≤
2.0 W/m2/K
• 61k homes in the BER database
Conduct field trials
• Test the impact of
economic and
behavioural
interventions and
evaluate using grant
application data
Current research
Past learning

7. Assessing and improving heat pump performance
7 www.seai.ie
Complicated controls
can impact user
operation
RCT to assess impact of “quick
start guide” on operation
Performance can be increased by X
Past learning Current research
Heat pump field trials:
• Heat Pump and Heat Loss Indicator
(HLI) Research Pilot - Field trial on
up to 400 Irish homes assessing
heat pump performance in homes
with HLI up to 3.0 W/m2/K
• RQ
Analysis of historical data
• 61k homes identified through the BER
database with up to HLI 7.15 W/m2/K

8. Other research
Ongoing projects
• Behavioural Insights to encourage retrofit
• Energy crisis communications
• Evaluation of Community Based Social Marketing trials
Future research
• Large scale field trials using metered consumption data – Living Labs/observatories
• Leverage financing – collaboration with banks and Central Bank
• Interventions to help energy poor/vulnerable groups
8 www.seai.ie

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Important areas of focus Key policy needs/enablers
• How to achieve targets in an (close to) optimal
way, e.g. balance of district heating vs heat
pumps
• How to maximise impact of interventions, e.g.
targeting people at the right time
• How to time-shift energy demand
• How to better evaluate impact of policies
• How to manage the current crisis without
compromising decarbonisation goals
• Protect vulnerable consumers
• Avoid distorting incentives
• Maintain public acceptability of policies
• Improve targeting
• Better targeting and tailored supports, e.g.
zoning for district heating and differential
policy supports
• Limit eligibility for electricity account
credits
• More open data – leverage significant public
and private data holdings
• e.g. BER database, smart metering data,
smart thermostat data

10. Behavioural science
Hannah.Julienne@seai.ie
Dr Daire McCoy
Programme Manager
Marek Bohacek
(On long term leave)
Dr Hannah Julienne
Senior Behavioural Scientist
Energy & environmental economics
Daire.McCoy@seai.ie
Behavioural data science
Mark.Bohacek@seai.ie
SEAI Behavioural Economics Unit
https://www.seai.ie/data-and-insights/behavioural-insights/
Shalin Sajan
Programme Executive
Economics
Shalin.Sajan@seai.ie

11. www.seai.ie
For more information please contact:
Daire McCoy
daire.mccoy@seai.ie
www.seai.ie
Thank You

12. Embedding citizens and
communities at the heart of
the energy transition
DR. BRÍD WALSH
NATIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH AND POLICY
CONFERENCE
08 SEPTEMBER 2022

13. 2. Citizen empowerment and
engagement at household level
1. Community engagement in
offshore wind energy
development

14. 1. Community engagement in offshore wind energy development
•Local opposition
•Community empowerment
• Just Transition
•Procedural Justice
•Strategic level
•Project level
• Distributional Justice

15. 2. Citizen empowerment and engagement at household level
Key barriers:
• High upfront costs
• Lack of tailored supports
• Lack of trust in process of retrofitting
• Low awareness of benefits
• Low standard of rental housing
• Lack of tailored options for landlords to retrofit
• No clarity on tenant protection from “renoviction”
•Shortage of skilled labour and materials
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/blockages_to_retrofittin
g_and_heat-pump_installation_in_ireland.pdf

16. Key recommendations:
• 100% grants extended to tenants receiving HAP
• Increase social housing retrofit targets (current 36,500
or 7% of total retrofits by 2030)
• Area-based approaches to retrofitting
• Local community energy advisors across all
counties/local authorities
• Support for bottom-up local community initiatives to
offer peer support and advice re: retrofitting
• Tailored measures for private rental sector
• Guidance for retrofitting traditional buildings and older
dwellings
• New Energy Poverty Strategy
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/blockages_to_retrofittin
g_and_heat-pump_installation_in_ireland.pdf

17. Average
household energy
bills increased by
€1100 in one
year.
Rising costs of
energy
disproportionately
impact the bottom
20% of the income
distribution.
If energy prices
increase by another
25% then 43% of all
Irish households would
be in energy poverty
(ESRI).
29% of Irish households are now in energy poverty
Joint Letter on Energy Poverty: https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/joint_letter_on_energy_poverty_and_energy_pollution.pdf
5 point plan for Government to cut bills, save energy and reduce pollution:
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/5_point_plan_to_cut_bills_save_energy_and_reduce_pollution_-_may_2022.pdf

18. 1. Energy efficiency
Prioritise worst-performing buildings and low-income/energy
poor households
Key recommendations include:
• Retrofit all social housing to B2 by 2030
• Collaborate & directly consult with anti-poverty NGOs for
delivering retrofits to people who need them most
• Increase individual energy grants from 80-100% for those at
risk or suffering from fuel poverty
• Grants and low-cost loans for deep retrofits based on income
assessment
• Set up dedicated retrofitting programme for households solely
relying on solid fuels
Called on the Government to
put forward measures to
tackle:
1. Energy efficiency
2. Cost of living
3. Energy bills and energy
poverty response

19. Our Public Engagement Journey
Joining the Dots – an all of society
approach to our energy transition
Sinéad Dooley
Head of Public Engagement

20. 2
REGULATION
(EU) No
347/2013 -
guidelines for
trans-European
energy
infrastructure
2020
2019
2017
2015
2014
2012
2008
Internal
External
Engagement journey to date
2013

21. Policy Framework

22. It is only with public
support that we can
secure a sustainable
supply of electricity for
the next generation.

23. Social
Acceptance
Work towards solutions
that have landowner and
public support
Engagement
Capacity
Increase our engagement
capacity and invest in our
people and tools.
Partnerships
Renew and revitalise our
existing alliances – and
develop new ones.
• Consider the social
acceptability of each solution
• Improve participation and
engagement methods
• Enhance community
benefits.
• Deliver ambitious education
and information campaigns.
• Improve our approach to
landowner engagement
• Review and update our
processes and outputs
• Restructure our teams with a
greater focus on engagement.
• Increase our engagement
capacity by adding personnel.
• Carry out independent
evaluation and certification of
our engagement every year.
• Expand our engagement tool-
kit.
• Work with Government on a
multi-partner campaign about
climate action to support public
policy.
• Support and encourage the
energy sector to work together
more effectively.
• Strengthen relationships with
community organisations.
• Renew and develop new
alliances with enabling
organisations.

24. New Public
Engagement
Strategy
Early Establishment
of Community
Forums
Co-delivery of
Community Benefit
• Local implementation
strategy
• Community stream
• Biodiversity stream
• Sustainability stream
• Matched funding
• At pre-concept stage
• Local community
representatives
• Co-design activities
• Local Insight & Knowledge
• Social acceptance / licence
• Partnerships
• Community benefit
• Capacity building
• Deliberative processes
Engagement Journey

25. Community Forums
Ensure communities are at
the heart of the decision
making over the project
lifetime.
Provide relevant input and
key local knowledge to assist
the project team in decision
making at the earliest
opportunity.
Work with community
groups and organisations to
build trust, identify local
needs, grow partnerships
and deliver on local projects.
Provide governance and
transparency around the
implementation of
Community Benefit.
Receive regular updates from
EirGrid team members on
project delivery ensuring
open and transparent two-
way communication.
Advise EirGrid on the most
effective approach to
communicating feedback and
key milestones to the wider
community.

26. Consultation and Engagement Forums on
Powering Up Dublin Programme
Dublin Infrastructure
Forum
Community Industry
Community Councils Chambers of Commerce
Public Participation Networks
Landowners
Community Forums Dublin Town / BIDs
Business Interest Groups
Public Transport Infrastructure
Utilities
Local Authorities
Planning and Environment
Enterprise Development and Tourism Offshore
Large Energy Users
Customers
Generators
Business
Setup May 2022 First meeting September 2022 following stakeholder awareness raising June – August 2022.
Forums will meet quarterly at programme level and will facilitate more local forums at geographical level.

27. Progress on engagement
Rollout of Community Forums
Laois Kilkenny
Clashavoon Dunmanway
Celtic Interconnector
Kildare Meath
North Connacht
North Dublin East Meath
Greater Dublin Area
Strategic Partnerships
Deliberative Engagement
▪ Co-design of Routing
Principles.
▪ Deliberative Dialogue
▪ Top Trump Forums.

28. Shaping Our Electricity Future
10

29. Shaping Our Electricity Future Engagement Roadmap
Policy and Politics
•Engage for
Better Outcomes
for All
•Local Authority
Rollout
•AILG Future
Energy Needs
Conference
•EU Collaboration
and
Engagement
Working Group
•COP26
Rural / Regional
Communities
•Regional
Citizen’s Energy
Assemblies
•Our Energy
Future Project
(RGI / FOE)
•Energy
Advocates /
Champions
•Collaborate with
SEAI
Young People
•Activation
programme
delivered locally
with youth
partner.
•EirGrid Young
Energy Citizen of
the year awards.
Skills and
Transition
•Collaborate with
NGOs and
stakeholders to
identify skills
gap in
Renewable
Development.
•Support
upskilling and
apprenticeships
at regional level.
•Energy Tourism
Initiative
Landowners
•Landowner
workshop series
on energy
(/climate)
transition and
Biodiversity
Initiatives
•Explore
expansion of
Community
Benefit to
support
transition
projects.
Communications
•EirGrid
Awareness
Raising
Campaign
•EirGrid
Knowledge Hub
•Focus on
Regional Media
campaigns

31. Recommendations for Policy & Practice
Roles dedicated to
engagement in academia to
support and facilitate multi-
stakeholder collaborations
and the engaged research
process
Evaluating the impacts of
engaged research is an
important emerging area of
research that requires more
funding
Seed funding for
collaborations on pilot
projects involving multiple
stakeholders should be
made more readily
available via government
departments, agencies
and local authorities –
with minimal red tape

32. www.seai.ie
National Energy
Research and Policy
Conference 2022
Societal Transformation

33. www.seai.ie
Energy Communities
Leading Societal
Transformation

34. • Sustainable Energy Communities
Network of 700 communities, supported with mentors, training
and energy master planning grants
• Better Energy Communities
Panel of project coordinators who can deliver large scale energy
retrofit projects (circa €100M/year)
• Renewable Energy Communities
Community category for large scale community led generation
projects with trusted advisors and early stage grant support
• Mandatory Community Benefit funds
Communities near new large scale wind and solar, onshore and
offshore projects will have access to €1-2 Bn over the coming
decades that could support climate action ambitions
Supporting Communities – what is happening
3 www.seai.ie

35. Communities leading local action and contributing to
national ambition of a zero carbon future
With:
▪ Community access to reliable funding sources and
technical resources from which they can build local
projects with enduring community benefit
▪ Adaptable/flexible models to suit each community
▪ Local capacity building to support the delivery of
community ambition
▪ Excellent demonstration projects, building confidence
▪ New finance models to support longer term projects
and realizing bigger impacts
Future Vision
4 www.seai.ie

36. Energy
Communities
Long term
strategy
Clear
funding
options
Socially
inclusive
climate
action
Just
Transition
Local skills
and
capacity
Projects of
enduring
value
Opportunities
5 www.seai.ie
Community
Generation
Projects Peer to Peer
electricity
projects
Economic
benefits
Climate
Action Plans
Home
retrofits
Sustainable
Transport
Local
Development
Plans
Energy
Resilience
and security
PPN
Local
Authority
support

37. Energy and climate action can be an enabler of other community ambitions e.g.
• Better health from better air quality
• Reduced energy poverty
• More economic activity in local business
• Lower congestion and noise
• Improved social interaction and cohesion with better facilities available at lower cost
BUT - it needs an all of society approach to build a cohesive response with a clear value proposition for all sectors
It is an important role that goes beyond the volunteer model
There is a need to build capacity at all levels, this will take time and lots of people
Huge changes in energy security and energy costs concerns can eclipse climate and sustainability targets
Challenges
6 www.seai.ie

38. • How do we build capacity in local communities?
• What is the appropriate role(s) for communities to
undertake?
• How to we achieve local consensus on climate
priorities?
• How do we invert the administration burden away from
communities?
• What is the right balance between local agencies and
local communities?
Important research questions/areas of focus to support societal transformation for Ireland’s energy revolution
• Balance of structured models and flexible solutions
• Financial instruments that can support communities
beyond grants
• Models of funding to fully support community projects
• Building climate and energy literacy
• Ensure people first approach
7 www.seai.ie

39. Key policy needs/enablers to support societal transformation for Ireland’s energy revolution
8 www.seai.ie
Easy Flexible Balanced Inclusive

40. www.seai.ie
For more information please contact:
Ruth Buggie
ruth.buggie@seai.ie
01-808 2024
www.seai.ie
Thank You