But, as a leaked confidential report this week has shown, Leo O’Driscoll’s decision to commit to the National Energy Assessors franchise has proven to be an incredibly shrewd piece of business. While the FAS report makes for grim reading, predicting that up to a quarter of all construction workers will lose their jobs by the years end, it also alludes to the fact that these losses will be offset, to a limited extent, by the creation of new jobs in other areas.

Which is where Leo, his brother Kevin and brother-in-law Mark Limerick come in. Based in Skibbereen, NEA Cork is one of 12 nationwide offices that form part of an Irish company, NEA, set up to respond to new energy performance regulations in the marketplace. “NEA,” according to Leo, “Is unique in that it offers a full range of solutions including BER (Building Energy Rating) Certificates, energy audits, specification reports for developments, air tightness tests, thermal imaging, grant application services, energy efficiency training and consultancy services”.

Having returned to Cork from his two year stint in the Cayman Islands, Leo set up his own consulting business, before seeing an opening in the market for the services which NEA provide. Although, he confesses, he had no experience in the building industry, his brother Kevin was involved in construction for five years, while brother-in-law Mark had spent the previous 12 years managing a sea-food processing plant. “I thought we had a good mix,” says Leo, “between construction, management and finance, so we put together a business plan and thankfully we were awarded the franchise in September 2007. It was something I felt had huge potential right from the off.”

The NEA Cork office was officially opened on November 23, 2007, and, to date, Leo’s entrepreneurial instincts have been proven  correct. In these increasingly environmentally friendly times, the importance in the need to be energy efficient cannot be overestimated. However, energy efficiency isn’t just about tackling environmental issues – it’s also about cost-cutting measures, as Leo explained.

“Take a four bed detached house that has an electricity bill of €120 every 2 months, purchase two fills of oil per year and one bag of coal a week. Over thirty years this will cost in the region of €80,000, and that’s assuming that the prices of electricity, oil and coal don’t increase. If we can reduce your monthly running costs by 30%, you can expect to save at least €25k over 30 years. In some cases monthly running costs can be reduced by up to 50%, thus ensuring even higher energy savings.  I’m committed to this business because I believe that becoming energy efficient makes economic sense and I’m also very aware of the importance of safeguarding our environment for future generations.”