Codema’s role in the EasyPro Project: Advancing decarbonisation in Irish Universities

15th July 2025

The EasyPro project makes Irish universities carbon neutral via Energy Performance Contracting (EPC). As an Energy Engineer, our project partner Adam Doyle from Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency, leads the Tendering for the EasyPro Project. In the following blogpost, Adam explains this role.

Introduction

Decarbonisation is a top priority for Ireland’s public sector, particularly universities, which must transition to low-carbon and energy-efficient infrastructure to meet national and EU climate targets. The EasyPro project, launched in 2024, aims to streamline the adoption of Energy Performance Contracting (EPC). As Leader of Tendering for the EasyPro project, Codema plays an important role in ensuring the project delivers real, measurable carbon reductions.

Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) as a decarbonisation tool

EPC allows public institutions to implement energy retrofits and integrate renewable energy solutions with minimal financial risk. Under an EPC, an Energy Service Company (ESCO) designs, finances and implements energy-saving measures, guaranteeing a specific level of carbon and energy reductions. This approach ensures that decarbonisation efforts are financially viable and results driven.

EasyPro: Driving decarbonisation in higher education

The EasyPro project is designed to overcome key barriers to EPC adoption, such as complex procurement processes, financial constraints and administrative challenges. The project will develop a standardised EPC framework, which will allow universities to accelerate their decarbonisation efforts. The project’s pilot phase includes four Irish universities:

• University College Cork
• Technological University Dublin
• Maynooth University
• Dublin City University

These universities will serve as models for demonstrating how EPCs can significantly reduce carbon emissions while improving energy efficiency.

Codema’s Role: Leading EasyPro’s tendering for low-carbon solutions

Codema leads the Tendering for the EasyPro project, which is key to ensuring that the project delivers high-impact, low-carbon solutions. Codema’s responsibilities include:

• Establishing a framework of ESCOs to implement decarbonisation-focused EPC contracts.
• Encouraging and facilitating the development of the EPC market, ensuring that more providers can offer net-zero solutions.
• Leading the competitive dialogue process to select the most effective ESCOs.

Through this leadership, Codema ensures that universities are equipped with the right contractors and innovative decarbonisation solutions to meet their goals.

Codema’s experience in delivering decarbonisation projects

Codema brings extensive experience in delivering EPC contracts to accelerate decarbonisation. A key example is Codema’s DeliveREE Project, which enabled public sector bodies in the Dublin region to procure large-scale energy upgrades and carbon reduction projects.

Codema helped local authorities access funding, select the right ESCOs, and implement retrofit and renewable energy projects. This expertise is now being applied to EasyPro, ensuring that universities can scale up their decarbonisation efforts using proven EPC models.

Future Impact: A model for public sector decarbonisation

The EasyPro project is expected to unlock up to €45.3 million in investment for carbon reduction and renewable energy projects. The framework developed through EasyPro will serve as a scalable model for other public sector institutions, helping them achieve net-zero goals efficiently and cost-effectively.

Codema’s leadership in EasyPro is driving large-scale decarbonisation across Irish universities. By leading the project’s Tendering, Codema ensures that the best contractors and solutions are selected to achieve deep carbon reductions. With its proven experience in EPC delivery, Codema is shaping a low-carbon future for Ireland’s public sector.

To learn more about Codema’s work, visit Codema’s website.