CHERIS – Community Home Energy Retrofit Information Service
Empowering West Cork
From October 2022 to 31 March 2024, the CHERIS pilot helped homeowners across West Cork take the first step on their retrofit journey. Led by Ludgate, RetroKit and The Wheel, and funded through the Community Climate Action Programme (Strand 2), the project trained local mentors, delivered free “Home Energy Upgrade Clinics” and created a toolkit that any community can now reuse.
- 23 clinics delivered — 100 % of participants would recommend them; average usefulness 8.57 / 10.
- 7 community mentors trained (Credit Unions, Cork ETB, Sherkin Island SEC, Carbery Housing, local SMEs).
- Robust co‑design with MaREI, SE Systems, West Cork Development Partnership and SECs.
Free Digital Resources
Digital assests include; Case studies, CHERIS digital toolkit, Training Package for mentors and explainer videos. All materials are available to community groups, SECs and local authorities free of charge. Email gavin@ludgate.ie and we’ll share the Google Drive folders.
Bring CHERIS to Your Community
Interested in replicating the service? We can provide:
- Mentor training timetable & competency checklist
- Clinic marketing templates (press release, social posts)
- Evaluation surveys & data‑capture sheets
Email gavin@ludgate.ie with a brief description of your community group and the resources you need.
Project Legacy
CHERIS demonstrates the power of community‑driven climate action. Its open‑source resources and proven clinic model give towns and villages a practical starting point for large‑scale home energy upgrades.
Last updated: June 2025
CHERIS Partners
funders
Administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
