Smyths Toys have announced a new dual-fuel "green" electricity and gas deal with competitive energy provider Energia. Included in the deal is energy efficiency training for Smyths Toys from Energia and SEI. Pictured at a recent energy efficiency training session are Michael Dwyer, Smyths T

Smyths Toys Athlone switches to green fuel

Published: Wed 31 Mar 2010, 4:30 PM

Smyths Toys in Athlone is going green as it is switching to all island energy firm Energia in a major new dual fuel power deal. The new deal will see Energia supplying over 5 Gigawatt Hour (GwH) of "green" electricity to Smyths Toys. The green electricity will go to power the company's 20 toy stores in Ireland. The electricity will come from Energia's 220MW portfolio of renewable electricity generation. The deal will also see Energia supplying Smyths Toys with gas. The use of renewable electricity in the new deal instead of conventional power will lead to reduction of 2,820 tonnes in the amount of CO2 produced during each year of the deal. This represents the amount of energy used in a year by 1,075 houses. Smyths Toys is currently undertaking energy efficiency training with a view to further reducing their energy costs. Energia is providing Smyth's Toys with three energy efficiency sessions in conjunction with Sustainable Energy Ireland. The purpose of the training is to help the company develop and implement their own energy management systems, helping them cut their energy bills (and also their CO2 emissions) by 10%. By reducing their usage by 10%, each company will reduce their CO2 emissions by approximately 14 tonnes per annum.Commenting on the deal, Ailbhe Carroll of Smyths Toys said: "Our switch to Energia to supply us with 5 gigawatt hour of green power each year is in keeping with our strong commitment to environmental responsibility." Gary Ryan, Sales and Marketing Director, Energia said: "We're delighted to have signed this major new green energy deal with Smyths Toys. Energia's green power offering provides Irish businesses with competitively priced energy packages and power from renewable resources, both of which significantly benefits the environment." Energia has 220MW of renewable electricity capacity contracted within its energy portfolio, the majority of which is operational with a further 400MW of wind farm projects currently in development across Ireland. The company also supplies a major portion of all gas consumed in Ireland by large industrial and commercial customers.