Council energy bill was €2.3m

Westmeath County Council’s energy bills are up by approximately €450,000 since 2019, the council’s director of finance, Michael Hand, informed council members last week.

Expenditure on energy amounted to €2.3m for 2004.

“That compares with an out-turn for 2019 of €1.84m, representing an increase of circa €450,000 or 24% on pre-pandemic and pre-war energy costs,” Mr Hand stated.

Looking to 2025, he said that while the current trend in energy prices is positive, there are numerous geopolitical factors that could adversely affect future trends, such as the current instability in the Middle East and Europe.

For unmetered electricity, the council are looking at a cost increase of approximately 10 per cent, with a potential hike of 7.23 per cent for metered electricity.

No change is anticipated in the payments for natural gas, and during 2024, there was stability in the price of the bulk fuels (diesel, kerosene, gas oil and petrol) required for the council’s machinery yard.

In Athlone, PV panels were due to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2024. Unfortunately, the roof over the library was deemed unsuitable: “The layout of the panels on the upper roof is now being reconfigured to maximise the output to compensate for the loss of the lower roof panels and the contractor is currently assessing the viability of this option,” Mr Hand said.