Our Commitment to a Greener Future – Handiheat & Community Climate Action
Community Climate Action Fund – Shared Island Fund – Galway City Council
We are delighted to share that ARC Healthy Living Centre was successful in securing funding through the Climate Action Fund – Community Climate Action Programme, under the Shared Island Community Climate Action strand.
This funding supports a cross‑border partnership between ARC Healthy Living Centre and Cumasú Centre, Doughiska Road, Galway, bringing together two community‑led organisations from very different geographic, political and legislative contexts. Despite these differences, both centres share a common purpose: supporting people and the planet while building stronger, more resilient communities.
Through this project, both organisations will work to improve the energy efficiency of our respective centres, helping to reduce costs and environmental impact. These improvements will allow more of our resources to be directed towards supporting vulnerable people in our communities, where needs are high and growing.
A key element of the project is a shared commitment to community education and awareness‑raising around climate action. Together, we will embark on a learning journey that supports a just transition, ensuring that local people are informed, empowered, and included as we move towards more sustainable practices in line with the Community Climate Action Plan.
This partnership reflects our broader commitment to creating a greener, fairer society, where climate action goes hand in hand with social inclusion. By working collaboratively across borders, sharing knowledge, and placing communities at the heart of change, we aim to make a meaningful and lasting impact for both current and future generations.
Handiheat
HANDIHEAT was a three year project focussed on energy performance in rural housing and public infrastructure challenges in peripheral and arctic regions. The role of ARC in the project was to examine the policies that impact on eliminating Fuel Poverty and provide advice, guidance and support.
Based as we are in the South West of the province, we have limited options for switching fuel choices, and we are heavily reliant on fossil fuels – oil and coal – for heating our homes. Part of the HANDIHEAT project involved piloting other solutions for heating. Our partners in Finland tested the efficacy and efficiency of Compressed Bio Gas as an alternative energy source, and its possible use as a domestic fuel source for dispersed settlements.
Our Lead Partner, the Housing Executive are also undertook a pilot on a number of houses in Lisnaskea. These homes – 6 in total – have been fitted with a range of energy efficiency measures – and renewable energy options for heating, solar panels, air source heat pumps, and condenser boilers. These pilots will run for one year, and will provide data that we hope will support the project and demonstrate the alternatives to traditional heating methods.
The transition to Net Zero, to which the government committed in 2018 will require behavioural changes for us all, and strong leadership from policy makers will be required to make this commitment happen. The HANDIHEAT project, with the combination of partners in other parts of Europe, shared best practice and endeavoured to influence policy makers to bring about change in this important area.
The project was initiated pre-COVID-19, and had to take account of the changes that have impacted on all our lives. Most of our activity moved to on-line platforms. Our commitment to community engagement was not altered and we delivered a number of Webinars.
Read the final report for the project; HANDIHEAT report 2021 FINAL (003).pdf
Handiheat was part of a research project, clink below or scan QR
