WIND TURBINES - MDC

Our Mission
The MDC Group based in Malin Head offer a complete package from planning to installing and maintaining wind turbines throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland for residential and commercial customers. Here in Ireland we have one of the best wind resources in Europe and wind power is a clean, environmentally friendly and a never-ending FREE energy resource. With the cost of energy starting to rise again and people looking to reduce their carbon footprint, installing a turbine is becoming a more economically viable option.

Co-owner Garvan Meehan commented that, “We all like the thought of "being green", but it still has to make economic sense. It is our aim to show clients how a system can pay for itself in the shortest time possible (as low as 2 years depending on use and type of system installed.)”
Introduction of ‘Feed-in’ Tariff The MDC Group are an authorised agent of the WES wind turbines in Ireland and their expertise and experience will make the whole process of choosing the best turbine for your needs very easy.

You can now sell any electricity you generate back to the ESB. The introduction of a ‘feed-in’ tariff means that for every kilowatt hour of electricity that you generate, you can now export this to the grid. ESB will pay 19c for the first 3000 kWh’s exported and 9c for every kilowatt hour over the 3000 limit. This, together with savings you make by using your own electricity too, means there has never been a better time to start generating your own electricity on your farm; or indeed in individual homes, small businesses, and communities.

With the assistance of the MDC Group, you can begin harnessing the wind to meet your own needs while also getting paid for any surplus electricity that you generate on your site. The use of Dutch-built Wind Energy Solutions (WES) wind turbines which are very reliable and affordable means years of trouble free operation. When you think about it wind turbines are installed in fairly inaccessible locations so the reliability has to be paramount. In any event, the MDC group carries a stock of spares for every turbine we install. We also service and maintain the units giving the customer peace of mind with the knowledge that a local company is always there. The medium sized turbine supplied by the MDC Group, the WES18 starts producing electricity at wind speed of 3 m/s and is already economically feasible with an average wind speed of 5 m/s. At an average wind speed of 7 m/s (moderate breeze), a WES18 wind turbine can produce up to 200,000 kWh per year. (The average four bedroom home uses about 5,000 kWh of electricity per year).

The MDC Group is now providing a full service from planning to commissioning, including wind feasibility studies and grant applications.

Business Owners
For as little as 10% down, we can show you how a system can save you money and give you years of free energy. In times when energy costs are hurting business's profits it just makes good business sense to talk to us and like the wind it's free !

Dragon Boiler Systems We have also secured the agency for Dragonheat Boilers Systems. The sheer simplicity of the Dragon is what makes this boiler attractive and payback of these systems can be as low as 2 years. These boilers are fully automatic and are easily retro-fitted to an existing installation. Grant assistance is also available and the boilers are carbon neutral.Contact the MDC Group on 086- 824-7271 or check out their new web page http://www.mdcgroup.biz/

HEALTH AND FITNESS

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Taking care of your health and well being makes you feel good about yourself in many ways

We are living in a fantastic place to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind with all sorts of resources available locally -many of them free.

Youth and community centres are great local resources for all sorts of activities that can keep you physically and mentally active and healthy


In today’s current economic climate, people are quickly realizing that they have to be part of the solution, to take action, and gain more control of their lives. Keeping healthy in body, mind and spirit is a personal decision and can be less work than you think. Here are some top tips.

· Feel good about your decisions. Bin the guilt.

· Choose exercises you will enjoy and start off in small steps. If you are sociable, try a dance class, if you are spiritual what about yoga and tai chi. If you like a bit of peace and quiet try running (you only have to go around the block at a very slow jog the first day).

· Remember when you felt when you were at you fittest. Get out a photo from that time and pin it up. It will help you keep your goal in mind.


· Get active. Put dance music on when doing housework, play football with the kids. Get the bikes out again for the spring.

Diet

“You are what you eat”

Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruit and veg and less fatty and junk food will increase your energy levels and your immune system. Make small changes such as cutting out snacking on biscuits and have some raw carrots instead. Cut down on tea and coffee and try herbal tea or even hot water.

If you have the occasional treat or binge, don’t feel bad, enjoy it and start again the next day.

Inishowen
We are living in a fantastic place to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind with all sorts of resources available locally -many of them free. Our landscape and natural environment is a real asset to our local community. There are fantastic walks, beaches and hills that tourists from all over the world pay a fortune to come over and enjoy. Spending time outside, walking, cycling, gardening is such a great way to keep healthy, physically and mentally. Get wrapped up and get out there. You will get fitter and feel better.

Golf
Golf is a great way to keep fit and healthy on so many levels. Meeting up with others to play, network and have a bit of craic gets you out of the house for a wee break (that’s bound to be good for you). It can help with mental performance as when you are playing well and are in ‘the zone’ your mind is perfectly quiet and of course you are moving your body walking and taking your shot.

(Don’t forget your warming up exercises if you haven’t played for a while).

North West Golf Club Suspends Entry Fee
North West Golf Club has suspended their First Time Members’ Levy for a limited time so first time members just pay the annual subscription for the season. They have also held their green fees at last season’s prices so if you are playing Monday to Friday it is €30 (or €20 if you are playing with a member) and €35 on Saturday and Sunday (€25 if playing with a member).

They also have special Green Fee rates for players who prefer their golf in the late afternoon. These ‘Twilight’ Green fees will begin in June and cost €15 after 7pm (Mondays to Fridays), €18 after 6pm at the weekend).

Crazy Fit Massage
This power vibration machine is hitting Inishowen by storm. You can hire a machine to use in the comfort of your own home for only €25 per month. It is a great machine for toning and losing weight without having to put any effort in yourself. You simply plug it in, stand on the plate, switch it on and away you go. A ten-minute workout is the same as an hour in the gym. Contact John McLaughlin on 087 2074527

Youth and Community Centres
Youth and community centres are great local resources for all sorts of activities that can keep you physically and mentally active and healthy.

Clonmany Youth and Community Centre
In Clonmany they have a special offer for March with gym membership only €250. There are all sorts of activities on for children and young people (from under 9’s to under 18’s) including indoor football, badminton, uni-hoc, martial arts, disco dancing and boxing. Linda Brady teaches gymnastics on Wednesdays.

Volunteer
Helping out in your local community is also a great way of keeping your body and mind active especially if you have more time on your hands then you are used to. Clonmany Youth and Community Centre are always looking for volunteers for basketball, art, drama, indoor athletics, table tennis or for their games room. If you have an hour or two to spare during the week, or are interested in any of the classes and offers, please contact the centre on 074 9376772

Buncrana Youth Club
Buncrana Youth Club also has great activities on that can help you get fit for summer. Kathy’s Irish dancing for adults is a fun and popular way to get fit and have a bit of craic. Classes are held on Mondays and Thursdays at 8pm.

If you prefer your dancing less traditional the check out the dimensions dance club on Saturday at 6.30pm All ages are welcome and the qualified dance instructors are Linda Brady and Danielle Duddy. Boxing is always popular locally for men and women. Training is on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays between 6.30 and 8pm.

REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

“One of the big incentives for moving over to Bio-ethanol fuel is a 50 per cent reduction in VRT, saving you up to €5700 euro on a Saab. The other is the price per litre.” Jeremy Carr –Mulroy Motors

“Everyone loves a wood fire; it really turns a house into a home. Modern wood pellet boilers offer the warmth and comfort of wood heating and are highly efficient, clean burning and totally automatic, saving you time and money”. Darren Collins- Evergreen


“Solar panels can save you up to 70% on your domestic hot water and 30% on overall heating costs”. Chris Maasson.

ECO SUPPLIERS IN THE NORTH WEST (AD FOR THE INISHOWEN INDEPENDENT)
Until recently, finding suppliers of sustainable energy products such as solar panels and wind turbines meant travelling miles or even venturing into Europe. Thankfully now we can find all the eco-products we need in Inishowen and the North West, saving us valuable time and money.

Insulation

Comfort is paramount in our homes, which makes good insulation vitally important. The more heat and energy you retain in the house, the less your fuel bill will be. This saves money and has the added bonus of keeping the CO2 emissions down to an acceptable level.

Patrick Doherty from Insulation Services has been keeping local homes warm for thirty years and knows a few things about insulation. His company caters for both old and new properties. “New houses benefit from cavity wall insulation,” says Patrick. “Older houses might need damp proofing” As well as individual projects, Insulation Services also work for the Education and Health Authorities and have ten million pound sterling public and product liability, which gives the customer total peace of mind. Patrick and his team also treat timber problems ranging from eradicating dry rot to timber preservation.

Wood pellet boilers

Have you ever thought of installing a wood pellet boiler? Maybe now would be the time to make a decision, as there is still time to avail of the grants that are available for homeowners to save money on eco products.

Wood burning is clean, energy efficient and does not contribute to global warming. The boilers are over 25% more efficient than domestic oil and can cost up to 50% less to operate. EirTherm Ltd based in Carrigans, are agents for HERZ wood pellet and wood chip boilers locally and they can provide the complete range of biomass boilers.

Why choose wood?

Wood is environmentally friendly
The carbon dioxide that is released when pellets are burned is the same as the amount the tree consumed when it was growing so it does not contribute to climate change.

Easy and clean to use
Pellet boilers are lit and run automatically, and the modern pellet boilers are self-cleaning.

Safety
Good quality boilers are equipped with a number of safety features including back-burn protection against the risk of fire.

Buying a boiler

Darren Collins from the company Evergreen, based in Killygordon takes the mystery out of buying bio fuel boilers. “To calculate what type of boiler you need there is a simple mathematical calculation” he says. “Times the square footage of your house by 0.8. This will tell you what size Kilowatt boiler to go for” he says “If you have a house with 2000 feet of space then a 15-20 watt system will be ideal.” Darren tells us about the different types of wood:

What are wood pellets?
“Pellets are clean, dry fuels made from a mixture of sawdust and wood shavings. The pellets are smoke free and high in energy.

What are wood chips?
“These are fragments made up from the whole tree. It is similar to the mulch on a garden but a lot more uniform and totally dry”.

What are heat logs?
“Heat logs are like an oversized wood pellet. They are made from managed oak and mahogany.


Logs

Maassen wood log boilers differ from other solid fuel boilers because it burns normal logs. “We work on the basis that every country has the ability to grow their own fuel. This cuts down on transportation costs,” they advise. “An important fact is that timber can be stored outside on the sheltered side of a building and can be exposed to the elements and even with a 20% moisture content still burns efficiently, so no dry storage is required.”


Solar panels and wind turbines

Maassen Sustainable Energy has 25 years experience in alternative power and also do a comprehensive range of solar panels and wind turbines. “The different wind turbine systems we have can be fitted either in new build domestic, commercial or existing buildings. The domestic turbines are noise free,” says Chris Maassen. Wind turbines will play an important role in sustainable energy in the coming years and Inishowen is ideally located to make the most of the technology. “Solar panels can save you up to 70% on your domestic hot water and 30% on overall heating costs. They do not need constant sunshine to be effective and they can be linked in with the existing heating too.”


E85 Fuel

Callaghan’s Motorway stores supply the North West with the new Bio- fuel E85 made from whey or rapeseed oil. “We are seeing a sharp increase of cars using the fuel,” says Dermott Callaghan from Motorway stores. “Saab, Volvo and Ford are all doing the dual–fuel cars and it is easy to see why. The price of E85 fuel is 95 cent per litre compared to €1.25 for unleaded, this means a saving of 27 cent per litre when you drive a car that runs on Bio- fuel - a big saving over the year for the motorist!”

Bio-ethanol fuel –Saab

One of the big incentives for moving over to Bio-ethanol fuel is a 50 per cent reduction in VRT, saving you up to €5700 euro on a Saab. The other is the price per litre. Bio-ethanol fuel contains only 15% unleaded petrol, which makes the price less prone to sudden increases in the oil market.

Jeremy Carr from Mulroy Motors in Letterkenny is also very aware about the reduction in CO2 emissions “When running the Saab 9-3 or 9-5 on E85 Bio-ethanol, fossil CO2 emissions are reduced by up to 80 per cent,” he states

“There is an impressive 20 % gain in brake horse power and 16% growth in torque when the car runs on E85 compared to when running on regular petrol,” Jeremy tells us. “The car also has the ability to run purely on unleaded fuel as well. So if you are far away from a station where you can refill with E85, you will never be left stranded. Changing from one fuel to another doesn’t require any flicking of switches either, you just put the fuel in the tank and go”.