One of the agencies charged with reducing the country's carbon footprint is appealing to sports clubs, charities, community and cultural organisations to draw up plans to retrofit their facilities, saying it has millions of euro available to distribute to them in grants.
The Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland awarded not-for-profit organisations more than €25 million for 200 retrofit energy projects completed last year.
The authority says it has even more money to hand out this year.
One of the organisations which has already benefited from the SEAI's Community Grants is the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.
It trains around 60 dogs per year at its national training centre on Model Farm Road in Cork. The dogs work with people who are blind and visually-impaired, and with autistic children.
The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind campus was developed almost 50 years ago.
It has just undergone a full-site retrofit of its energy systems.
This was done with the support of SE Systems, a specialist retrofitting contractor which managed the project, and with advice, grants and guidance from the SEAI.
This included attic insultation, cavity wall insultation, the installation of 400 LED lights throughout the campus, the installation of three new heat pumps, the installation of electric and gas meters and the installation of a building management system throughout the campus.
The result is a saving in the energy budget at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind of more than 20%, down from €110,000 to around €87,000.
And there are other benefits: staff and volunteers work in an environment which is warmer in cold weather and cooler when the sun is shining. Clients who come to stay at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind headquarters when they're being paired with their dogs enjoy more comfortable accommodation.
The dogs sleep better at night in their temperature-controlled kennels and the carbon footprint created by the campus has shrunk.
The cost of the project was - for a charity like the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind - an eye-watering €330,000.
The organisation's Chief Executive Tim O'Mahony says that given the charity's focus on improving the quality of its services, it would have been very difficult to justify an outlay like that if the total cost came from its own resources.
However, there was help at hand - and grants were available.
Project manager and contractor SE Systems conducted an audit to assess the scale and extent of the retrofit required.
SE Systems then assisted Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind with its grant applications to the SEAI.
The charity secured €137,000 in grants from the SEAI's Community Grants fund.
A further €174,000 towards the overall cost was paid from a €3 million community fund established by SE Systems. This left the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind with a final bill of just €19,000.
And, thanks to the savings in its energy budget, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has already recouped its outlay.
"It's made a massive difference to us - it has saved us about 25 per cent in our energy costs, and we've had payback on the cost that we spent," Mr O'Mahony said.
He said he's "one hundred per cent happy" that Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind went ahead with the project.
"Every time we have an opportunity in guide dogs to be more efficient and effective we will take the opportunity, and this project has allowed us to do that," he said.
Contractor and Project Manager SE Systems has seen responses like this many times before.
"We can see now that the staff are much happier. They have a comfortable environment. Clients that come in notice that the facility has greatly improved and, most importantly, the dogs themselves are very comfortable and can focus on their training," says Jake O'Connell of SE Systems.
The SEAI is appealing to non-profit organisations to make retrofit plans, so that they can avail of tens of millions of euro available in grants.
The authority is funded by the Government through the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Its purpose is to reduce Ireland's carbon footprint by funding retrofit projects.
Last year it provided grants worth €25 million to almost 200 community, cultural and not-for-profit organisations, sports clubs and charities.
The authority has a message for organisations in these categories which have not drawn up retrofit plans for their buildings and facilities.
"We have funding to support you," says Dr Ciarán Byrne, Director of National Retrofit at SEAI.
"We have the people in place to support you. We need you to get on and do it, so have a look at our website, www.seai.ie, look for the Community Energy Grants Scheme and start your journey. We have to do it, so start your journey today."
Even the dogs being trained at the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Model Farm Road campus were barking their approval. Supervisor in dog care and welfare, Julie O'Callaghan, says the dogs are definitely happier in their temperature-regulated kennels.
"It's a nice comfortable temperature for the dogs," says Julie.
"We have underfloor heating, so the dogs love that. Sometimes they don't even use the beds, they just lie on the floor for the heating.
"It's always good to have a comfortable environment where you're sleeping and training. We all know the importance of sleep for learning, so it's great for them."
