Dublin’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, and fair future

The city of Dublin is striving to help communities take practical steps towards cutting energy use and emissions.

Adam Doyle and Katia Tikhoniouk from CODEMA, one of the 10 enablers of the Support Service for Citizen-led Renovation (CLR), tell us how their Energy Agency is working with experts, local authorities, and - most importantly - citizens to help the city achieve its ambitious climate targets and become a sustainable place to live.

How is the state of the art of building renovation in Ireland?

Like many European cities, Dublin faces the challenge of an older housing stock, high energy costs, and a complex renovation landscape. The rate of home retrofits in Ireland has been increasing in recent years, supported by national initiatives such as the SEAI One Stop Shop scheme and deep retrofit grants, but achieving renovation at scale remains a major challenge due to upfront costs, limited contractor capacity and the complexity of home upgrades. The National Climate Action Plan sets a target of retrofitting 500,000 homes to a B2 energy rating or better by 2030 and installing 400,000 heat pumps, as part of Ireland’s legally binding commitment to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Meeting this ambition requires combining financial incentives with accessible advice, strong supply chains and trusted local support. Codema’s work directly supports these aims by bridging the gap between policy and people — helping to turn climate targets into practical local action. 

What’s the core purpose of CODEMA?

Codema is Dublin’s Energy Agency, working with the city’s local authorities to drive the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient region. Our work spans energy planning, building retrofits, renewable energy development and citizen engagement. By working through existing networks such as Sustainable Energy Communities, we help ensure renovation is not only technically feasible but also socially fair and achievable for all households. Over the past two decades, we have delivered large-scale retrofit projects for public buildings, and developed energy masterplans to guide long-term action. We also lead and participate in several EU-funded projects, bringing European best practice to Dublin and sharing local lessons internationally. Our mission is to accelerate Dublin’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future by working collaboratively across all sectors and ensuring that citizens remain at the centre of that transition. 

Why are citizen-led renovation initiatives important?

Because real change happens when people feel ownership. Citizen-led renovation empowers households to move from awareness to action — not as isolated homeowners, but as part of a shared local effort. It builds trust, strengthens connections and turns the challenge of renovation into something social, achievable and rewarding.

What is CODEMA’s role in the Citizen-led Renovation (CLR) project?

Through the Citizen-Led Renovation (CLR3) project, we’re helping to shape and test new models that make community-driven renovation easier to deliver in Ireland. Codema acts as an enabling structure, working with local groups and mentors to co-design “Buying Clubs” and other collective approaches that reduce costs, simplify decision-making and give citizens more confidence to invest in energy upgrades. We also provide neutral technical advice and share lessons with national partners so that successful approaches can be scaled across other communities. By piloting and refining these models, we aim to demonstrate how citizen leadership can complement national retrofit schemes and unlock greater participation.

Discover more about why we need citizen-led renovation initiatives here!