In 2019 the Department of Defence commissioned the Clean Technology Centre to implement a Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP) at its training centre, in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
A Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP) is the result of an on-site assessment or audit of how an organisation uses its energy, water and waste resources.
Since 2020, all Irish Government Departments are required to prepare a REAP on an annual basis as part of a Government commitment to green Government Departments. The REAP process will be expanded to State Agencies in the future.
In 2019 CTC prepared Guidance for the Government Department REAP implementation in and the associated benchmarking templates for the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE). These can be downloaded from here.
This experience, allied to our extensive history working in the area of waste prevention, resource efficiency assessment, guidance preparation and training delivery, provides us with an in-depth appreciation of the REAP process and challenges government departments have encountered in their development.
The REAP implementation was carried out in a number of tasks:
- Determine the scope of the on-site audits, an audit schedule and contact for the site.
- Acquisition of site-specific information required in advance including waste, water and energy utility bills, existing environmental and energy management and operating
- procedures, building energy rating (BER) certificates, site plans etc.
- Preliminary benchmarking evaluation of each site and will inform the scope of on-site assessments.
- Detailed resource efficiency audit, including many aspects in a detailed site tour
- Preparation and circulation of reports based on the audits, with all the required recommendations
- Project management