Recognised for outstanding leadership in energy efficiency and carbon reduction at the Ulster and Connaught Optimising Power @ Work Awards
Sligo County Council Wins Regional Energy Leadership Award
Pete Murtagh from Sligo County Council’s Energy Team with David Jeffers, Head of the Energy Conservation Unit in OPW.
Sligo County Council is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Energy Management Award at the Ulster and Connaught Regional Optimising Power @ Work Awards.
This prestigious award recognises organisations that go beyond managing their own energy use to inspire and influence others. Sligo County Council was commended by the judging panel for its strong leadership in developing, sharing, and scaling energy-saving initiatives across both the organisation and the wider community.
The Council has consistently demonstrated a commitment to embedding best practice in energy management across all of its facilities. Rather than confining success to individual buildings, the Council has applied lessons learned across multiple sites, ensuring a coordinated and effective approach to reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
A key strength highlighted by the judges was the Council’s focus on staff engagement, with energy awareness initiatives helping to build a positive culture of sustainability throughout the organisation. In addition, Sligo County Council has shown strong community leadership, including delivering an insulation roadshow to support householders in improving the energy efficiency of their homes.
Despite managing multiple sites and ambitious projects with a relatively small team—including participation in the Pathfinder Programme—the Council continues to demonstrate how leadership, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing can deliver meaningful results.
A standout initiative noted by the judging panel was the Council’s work on Building Management Systems (BMS). A site-specific manual developed for County Hall achieved significant energy savings in its first year and has since been successfully rolled out across other Council buildings.
Welcoming the award, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Dónal Gilroy, said:
“On behalf of Sligo County Council, I am delighted to see this important work recognised at a regional level. This award reflects the dedication and innovation of our staff, who continue to lead by example in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions across our operations. It also highlights our commitment to supporting communities throughout County Sligo in progressing towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.”
Speaking at the awards, David Jeffers, Head of the Energy Conservation Unit in the Office of Public Works (OPW), said:
“Leadership in energy management is about more than achieving results within your own building. It is about creating momentum, sharing knowledge and helping others succeed. Sligo County Council has demonstrated exactly that. By taking proven approaches and applying them across multiple sites and into the wider community, they have shown how one successful initiative can become the catalyst for much broader change.”
The Optimising Power @ Work programme, led by the OPW, supports public sector organisations across Ireland to improve energy performance, reduce carbon emissions, and create more sustainable workplaces.