€1.5m energy upgrade planned for Carlow's Visual arts centre
Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Ken Murnane signs contracts for energy upgrades to Visual arts centre. Also shown are senior members of the council and the arts centre as well as Aramark Energy Ireland Photo: Michael O'Rourke Photography 2026
CARLOW Co Council and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are co-funding €1.5m in energy upgrades to the Visual arts centre and George Bernard Shaw Theatre.
The works will include a full decarbonisation of the building, with the removal of a gas heating system, insulation upgrades, ventilation system upgrades and a solar PV installation.
After a competitive procurement process, Aramark Energy Ireland was appointed as the lead design team. The council and interim Visual CEO Niall Scully signed contracts with Aramark on 15 January.
At the November 2025 Carlow Co Council meeting, Emma-Lucy O’Brien, former CEO of Visual, said that Visual’s operating costs have increased from €749,000 a year to just over €1m a year in 2025. An audit of the centre’s finances found that utilities inflation was a major factor in the operating costs increase.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is part funding the upgrades under the Pathfinder programme, which, since 2017, has partnered with public bodies to help them achieve a 50% energy efficiency improvement and a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030.
Visual is property of Carlow Co Council and the council has also committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 51% by 2030.
