Residential Energy Upgrades
Many homeowners living in old, cold homes want to upgrade but don’t know where to start. We provide a bespoke upgrade plan so you can achieve a warmer and more comfortable home!
Many homeowners living in old, cold homes want to upgrade but don’t know where to start. We provide a bespoke upgrade plan so you can achieve a warmer and more comfortable home!
Grant supports are available through SEAI for Residential energy upgrades. Together with the increase in innovative technologies and materials available, the opportunities for shallow – deep scale retrofit are now more attractive than ever. Homeowners can avail of grant funding up to 35-80% towards energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems.
A complete home energy upgrade solution for homeowners or landlords who want multiple energy upgrades and a fully managed hassle free solution from start to finish.
Available to all homeowners and landlords through SEAI without means testing where homeowners manage their upgrade works and grant application themselves.
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Here are a list of the most frequently asked questions about energy retrofits in Irish homes
An energy upgrade or “Deep” Retrofit of a home involves carrying out multiple energy measures all at once to achieve a more energy efficient home.
Firstly, you will need to reduce the level of heat loss from your home. This can be achieved by improving the fabric or “envelope” of the dwelling. This involves some or all of the following: wall insulation, roof insulation, floor insulation, window & door upgrades.
The next step is to look at your heating system (ideally to support the transition away from fossil fuels). The typical heating system installed on a domestic retrofit is an air-source heat pump, in addition to upgrading the heating controls.
The retrofit also includes mechanical ventilation to maintain good indoor air quality (Shift away from Natural ventilation strategies, or traditional “hole in the wall”)
Other renewable energy technologies such as solar PV may also be appropriate for your home.
Up to 35% of the heat in your home can be lost through the external walls. This heat loss can be reduced by insulating the walls to keep more heat inside your home.
There are three different methods to insulate walls: cavity, external and internal insulation. These can be used on their own or in combination depending on the existing construction.
Additional ventilation may also be required following installation, in order to ensure adequate ventilation in your home.
If your home has cavity walls which are not insulated or only partially insulated, then cavity wall insulation is an easy, cost effective first step to reduce heat loss.
This process involves pumping insulation into the cavity. A series of small holes are drilled in the wall at regular intervals on the outside, with insulation inserted “pumped”. The holes are then filled in order to match the original wall.
External wall insulation is generally the preferred option for solid masonry walls. It can also be used with cavity wall insulation to further improve the performance of your external walls. This involves wrapping the external walls with rigid insulation.
Internal wall insulation is often considered when external or cavity wall insulation isn’t an option (i.e. for some protected structures). FYI – Internal wall insulation is more disruptive, when compared to external wall insulation.
Internal insulation (often referred to as ‘drylining’) usually involves fixing insulation boards to the inside of the external walls and covering them with a vapour control layer, plasterboard and skimcoat finish As the boards are applied to the inner side of the walls, there will be some loss of space in the rooms.
A Building Energy Rating (BER) grades the energy performance and carbon emissions of buildings, on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient, and EW being the least efficient.
A Building Energy Rating (BER) is based on the estimated carbon dioxide emitted by annual energy usage in that building. A BER assessor estimates the heat produced by appliances and sunlight through windows and the heat lost through the walls, floors and roof. Based on the size of the building, the number of occupants and the efficiency of the heating system, a BER is determined by how much heat is required to keep the building warm and the water hot.
Requirements for applying to the domestic programmes include: