IT MAY soon be "lights out" in Leinster House after it emerged that the State's elected public representatives and their staff are to be encouraged to "think green" as part of plans to reduce the building's carbon emissions by at least 15 per cent.
According to the chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, Seán Barrett TD (FG), the energy plan is being considered by the Leinster House management committee and the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.
If approved, TDs and their staff would be encouraged to adopt measures such as switching off computers and unnecessary lighting, particularly at the end of the day, as well as to avoid leaving heating on for lengthy periods.
It is understood that the plan includes an energy audit of Leinster House, and the appointment of an energy officer to oversee progress.
Similarly, it is thought that an energy awareness campaign for members and their staff will be launched.
Mr Barrett said yesterday that there was little doubt that there was a need for all of those working in Leinster House to do more to ensure they preserved energy.
"If we can't encourage ourselves to get our houses in order, then it is very difficult to be telling others to do this," he told The Irish Times. "It is astonishing the amount of energy that can be saved. I suppose we've all been negligent in the past, even in our own homes ... but once you become aware of it, it is amazing how automatic it becomes to adopt simple measures."
Mr Barrett recently wrote to the Ceann Comhairle, John O'Donoghue TD, on behalf of the committee with a view to establishing what was being done to save energy and "lead by example".
He was told that an energy plan, part of the Office of Public Works' (OPW) wider Optimising Power at Work staff energy campaign, has been prepared which aims to set a target of at least a 15 per cent reduction in C02 emissions.
During a presentation to a meeting of the committee in Leinster House in February, the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley TD, expressed concern that the "heating is always one in this building".
"The heating is on full blast and one can be roasting in the summer and need to open windows to let in fresh air," he said.
"The lights are left on. We have a way to go with regard to the most basic actions."
Last January, the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Noel Ahern TD, launched Optimising Power at Work, which aims to achieve at least a 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across 250 State buildings nationwide within 18 months.
A pilot programme conducted in 10 buildings indicated that energy savings of 20 per cent could be achieved.