Construct Ireland has picked up two awards at the 2010 Green Awards. Editor Jeff Colley won the green leader award and Construct Ireland picked up the green communications award for successful campaigning work on pay-as-you-save and a proposal to boost the impact of  Building Energy Ratings, which in both cases culminated in policy commitments in the renewed programme for government,  and planned launches later this year.

The energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, has announced details of a "green loans" scheme to help people pay for improvements to their homes to make them more energy efficient.

The scheme, which would see loans remain attached to the house where insulation, solar panels or other green technology was installed, aims to overcome the financial barriers and upfront costs people face when trying make their homes greener.

Figures released from Sustainable Energy Ireland reveal that over 100,000 Irish homes have had Building Energy Ratings completed to date, the majority of which were completed since January 2009, the first year for full implementation of the BER scheme. Introduced in 2007 as a requirement of the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, the rate of BER publications has steadily increased in 2009, averaging 300 per day, Which Sustainable Energy Ireland indicates an increasing awareness of and compliance with the legislation.

One of the mid-west region’s best known primary schools has moved to reduce its annual water and sewer charges by installing waterless urinal systems.

The Model School in Limerick City invested in the systems, installed by BR Waterless Solution, to offset the scale of metered water charges that were introduced for all schools and educational centres in January. 

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan today announced the extension of the Accelerated Capital Allowance Scheme. The Scheme, detailed in the Finance Bill, allows companies to buy energy efficient equipment and write off its full cost against corporation tax in the year of purchase.

Ireland risks social and economic disaster from climate change unless the government takes urgent action, according to the Irish Academy of Engineers.

In a new report the group says delivering critical infrastructure must be prioritised, otherwise the country risks polluted drinking water, extensive flood damage and power blackouts.

An alarming new study jointly released by two prominent California-based environmental/economic think tanks concludes that unrelenting energy limits, even among alternative energy systems, will make it impossible for the industrial system to continue operating at its present scale, beyond the next few decades. The report finds that the current race by industries and governments to develop new sustainable energy technologies that can replace ecologically harmful and rapidly depleting fossil fuel and nuclear technologies, will not prove sufficient, and that this will require substantial adjustments in many operating assumptions of modern society.

Ireland’s small businesses could save €300 million a year through simple actions to reduce energy costs, Sustainable Energy Ireland has announced. This follows the completion of 1,500 small business energy assessments over the past two years, giving SEI the most comprehensive knowledge of the energy practices and challenges facing small businesses today.

This year’s Plan Expo, Ireland’s largest building exhibition, will take place at RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin from Tuesday, 3 November to Thursday, 5 November. Green building is at the heart of this year’s event: the EcoBuild exhibition of green building suppliers will take up almost half the floor space, while a first-time conference entitled Rebuilding Ireland will explore the role that green building and architecture can play in Ireland’s economic recovery.

Ten Irish companies developing ocean energy technologies will share e4.3millon in funding from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the national energy authority announced yesterday.

The funding is aimed at enabling the companies to take their proposals and prototypes to the next stage of development.