ENACT – Pathway

Pathway is one of the most important sections in the ENACT toolkit. It guides through the commercial building renovation journey in 5 main steps.

The tool offers step-by-step guidance, key resources, and useful links to facilitate informed decision-making and streamline renovation implementation. Consolidating all relevant information in one place enhances readability and accessibility for users.

Below outlined are the key steps of the ENACT tool, with a detailed breakdown of each step provided thereafter.

  • STEP ONE

    Understand your energy use

    Before taking action, it’s essential to understand how, where, and when your business uses energy. This insight forms the foundation for making effective and targeted improvements. By identifying energy-intensive systems and behaviours, such as heating, lighting, or equipment left running unnecessarily and other low cost – no cost solutions. This review uncovers quick wins and longer-term opportunities to reduce consumption and costs. Read more…

  • STEP TWO

    Create an energy action plan

    Once you have a good understanding of your energy use, you can develop a practical energy action plan following basic energy management techniques and steps. A strong energy action plan is more than a list of upgrades. It supports continuous improvement by establishing a structured approach to managing energy use, setting internal accountability, and encouraging regular review and staff involvement. The plan can start small and grow as your business gains confidence and resources. Read more…

  • STEP THREE

    Complete an energy audit

    This is the first step of any energy saving project, and crucial to identify energy consumption hotspots and inefficiencies in the building. This will help to understand how much energy your business uses, bad actors in your process and actions that need to take to save energy, and their estimated cost and impact. Read more…

  • STEP FOUR

  • STEP FIVE

    Monitor, track and report

    Monitoring your system and maintain in a proper way is very important at the end of an energy efficiency renovation project. Make sure your installed systems running smoothly and monitor them frequently to understand any faults in the system. It is essential to discuss with your contractor to investigate the preventive maintenance schedule for your M&E systems installed. Read more…

  • Step 1. Understand your energy use

Before taking action, it’s essential to understand how, where, and when your business uses energy. This insight forms the foundation for making effective and targeted improvements. By identifying energy-intensive systems and behaviours, such as heating, lighting, or equipment left running unnecessarily and other low cost – no cost solutions. This review uncovers quick wins and longer-term opportunities to reduce consumption and costs. 

Action tips  

  • Review recent utility bills to identify peak usage times and trends. 
  • Walk through your building to observe energy use during operating and non-operating hours. 
  • Identify key systems that consume the most energy (e.g. heating, cooling, refrigeration). 
  • Talk to staff to understand daily practices that may affect energy use. 

To enhance basic understanding of energy efficiency upgrades it is worth to invest time in learning about energy efficiency. Following training toolkits will help you to upgrade your knowledge about energy efficiency,  

Key training toolkits:  

A free, online, self-paced e-learning platform covering a wide range of energy efficiency topics, including business energy efficiency, office energy use, solar PV, electric vehicles, and behavioural change. The modules are interactive, mobile-friendly, and suitable for all staff levels. Each module includes an assessment and provides a certificate upon completion 

Digital tools from the European Commission to support SRI assessments, helping businesses and building owners improve the smartness and energy efficiency of their buildings 

A step-by-step toolkit guiding businesses through emissions calculation, target setting, implementation, and progress measurement. IBEC also offers in-person workshops and online resources to support business climate action. 

Quick Links:  

Energy hotspots in a building

  • Step 2. Create an energy action plan

Once you have a good understanding of your energy use, you can develop a practical energy action plan following basic energy management techniques and steps. A strong energy action plan is more than a list of upgrades. It supports continuous improvement by establishing a structured approach to managing energy use, setting internal accountability, and encouraging regular review and staff involvement. The plan can start small and grow as your business gains confidence and resources. 

You can participate in free online workshop from SEAI for better understand of energy management and creating an energy action plan. 

Quick links:

  1. Climate Toolkit 4 Business – An online tool that helps businesses estimate their carbon footprint and recommends practical, cost-effective actions for energy upgrades and emission reduction. 
  2. Refer to the SEAI’s Energy management Guide  
  3. Refer to the SEAI’s Energy Management Workbook 

  • Step 3. Complete an energy audit

This is the first step of any energy saving project, and crucial to identify energy consumption hotspots and inefficiencies in the building. This will help to understand how much energy your business uses, bad actors in your process and actions that need to take to save energy, and their estimated cost and impact. 

Regulatory requirements:

  • The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) mandates large organisations to complete energy audits every four years2 
  • Under the revised EED, enterprises with an average annual consumption higher than 10 TJ of energy over the previous three years must carry out an energy audit by October 11, 2026 (Articles 11(1) and 11(2)) 

 

Why you need an Energy Audit? 

  1. To improve energy performance and minimise the environmental impacts of the organisation’s operations. 
  2. Detecting energy wastage allows businesses to implement cost-effective solutions that reduce energy bills. 
  3. To provide clear financial information regarding energy savings opportunities in order to prioritise these items for the organisation’s decision-making process. 
  4. To identify potential for using renewable energy supply technologies. 
  5. Enhances workplace comfort and productivity by improving indoor environmental conditions. 
  6. Supports corporate sustainability initiatives by reducing carbon footprint and environmental impact. 
  7. To contribute to the process for certification to a formal energy management system, as set out in ISO 50001. 
  8. Provides valuable data for making informed decisions about future energy investments and renovation projects. 

Find a professional energy auditor is important and you can find the SEAI registered energy auditor from here. 

Businesses can avail € 2,000 voucher for high quality energy audits from SEAI support scheme for energy audit (SSEA). For more information about SEAI support scheme click here. 

Quick links:  

  1. Energy audit handbook by SEAI 
  2. SSEA report template 

  • Step 4. Invest and implement energy efficiency upgrades and renewables

It is important to understand the financial supports and grants available for SMEs and other businesses in different settings before performing the cost benefit analysis for a project. 

Financing Navigator Tool  

This tool makes it easier for you to see what non-repayable and other finance options available to you depending on the energy upgrade measures involved.  Once you have a feel for what may be required (based on an energy audit report), the tool will provide an overview of grants and other supports and finance options available, along with key information like grant amount, timeline and direct link to the specific grant.

Financing Navigator Tool

Refer to our Financing Business Energy Upgrades handbook to explore more information on possible grants, tax reliefs, loan finance, asset finance, etc. This guide will help you to understand pros and cons in different types of finance options which will help you to decide which options are most suitable for your business approach.  

Quick links: 

  1. Refer SEAI Business Energy Upgrade Scheme Guidelines – 2024 
  2. Refer to Enterprise Ireland for sustainability supports available for enterprises. 
  3. Refer IDA ‘GO Green’ offer for other supports available for your business 
  4. Refer GREEN GATEWAY Green eligibility checker to assess whether a potential investment contributes to climate change action and environmental sustainability inline with EIB eligibility criteria. 
  5. Case studies that utilised SEAI grants and succeed energy efficient projects (Case study No. 2, 6-15) 
  6. Financing and budgeting section to explore more FAQs around this. 

Project implementation in energy efficiency upgrades and renewables

It’s always better to select a competent contractor to implement your energy efficiency renovations to ensure all works meet quality and competency and compliance with Irish standards which lead to secure the grants available.  

When selecting a contractor, it is important to consider the following key factors. 

  • Identify government approved certified contractors 
  • Verify contractor’s credentials and certifications 
  • Previous work experience in the same field and scope of work 
  • Cost and timeline 
  • Post installation support provided by the contractor  

Quick links: 

  1. SEAI registered contractor list 

When developing an energy efficiency renovation work plan, the initial energy audit is important, and the renovationwork needs to be aligned with the initial anergy audit recommendations which will allow business to save energy through the improvement. Business owner can request the help from the contractor, and both can discuss and finalise the renovation work plan. When developing the renovation work plan it’s always better to adhere to the requirement with the EPBD energy efficiency targets and specially Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for non-residential buildings.  

Risk assessment also an important aspect you need to consider in this stage. Deciding how much risk is involved in the project, which determines how it will be managed moving forward. Proper renovation work plan leads you to reduce the lead time and interruption to your business.  

Quick links: 

  1. EU’s Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) 
  1. Building Renovation Passport (BRP)  
  1. Cost indicator and suitability survey for biomass boilers 
  1. FAQs under planning and implementation 
  1. Case study suggestion

This step consists of installing and carry out the planned measures, testing and handover to the business. Make sure following key actions are performed during project implementation phase, 

  • Coordinate with contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders to ensure smooth execution. 
  • Ensure that all materials and equipment meet required specifications. 
  • Monitor project milestones and conduct site inspections to monitor the work carry on. 
  • Continuous monitoring with third party company if involved.  

Once you complete the renovation measures you can update your BER rating by doing a BER assessment from a qualified BER assessor.  

Quick links: 

  1. FAQs under planning and implementation. 
  1. National register of BER assessors 
  1. Case studies suggestion: CS03 and CS06

  • Step 5. Monitor, track and report

Monitoring your system and maintain in a proper way is very important at the end of an energy efficiency renovation project. Make sure your installed systems running smoothly and monitor them frequently to understand any faults in the system. It is essential to discuss with your contractor to investigate the preventive maintenance schedule for your M&E systems installed.  

Refer to the following guides to get an idea about how you can maintain and monitor your installed M&E systems. 

Heat pump operation and maintenance guide. 

O&M guide for mechanical ventilator heat recovery (MVHR) unit 

It’s always important to report and documenting the improvements to understand the energy efficiency behaviours in longer term.  

Quick links: 

  1. Refer to the SEAI’s resources and tips available to get started 
  2. FAQ s under operations and maintenance

Case studies examples

ENACT – Case Study 16

13/06/2025/by Kasia Heffernan

ENACT – Case Study 10

12/06/2025/by Kasia Heffernan

ENACT – Case Study 2

12/06/2025/by Kasia Heffernan
This project has been funded by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland under the SEAI National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Funding Programme 2021 reference number RDD/00615.
“The project team would like to thank SEAI and the ENACT steering group for their continuous support”
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