Retrofit your home for a greener, lower-cost lifestyle
Deep retrofit (raising a home’s comfort and energy performance to at least a B2 BER or better) can be achieved in two highly versatile ways: One is a once-off holistic big project; the other is to use individual grants for incremental improvements over time.
Energy efficient retrofits, many grant aided, are becoming as familiar to us as sketching up extensions and refreshing our decorating.
These vital investment opportunities offer multiple rewards. Along with the perceptible sensory comfort of the home, is knowing that we are prioritising the journey towards a more sustainable way of life.
A comfortable BER of B2 (125 kWh/m2/yr) is the baseline on completion of what is termed a deep retrofit.
Welcoming in thermal upgrades and renewable technologies will, in the long term, save us money at the pointy end of the utility bills and increase the saleability of our home sweet home.
Beyond location, and square metres, property buyers are alert for proven, energy performance credentials – superb insulation, renewables, air-tightness, and a jolly green engine, running the home.
Ciaran Byrne, Director of National Retrofit with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), reveals that the demand for grant aided improvements is accelerating.
“The Government announced increased home energy upgrade grants and the launch of the new One Stop Shop service in February 2022. Since then, all SEAI home energy grant schemes have seen really strong growth, with nearly double the application rate of 2021. By the end of 2022, close to 27,000 homes were upgraded with grant supports from SEAI.
“The One Stop Shop service opened for homeowner applications in April 2022. To date, SEAI has received close to 1,000 applications, with over 400 homes having completed their home energy upgrade to a B2 BER rating or higher.
“All registered One Stop Shops are continuing to report growing demand. 19 new providers are currently at various stages of the registration process. The One Stop Shop scheme is building momentum to meet demand and we have more than 1,000 registered contractors installing individual upgrades.”
Deep retrofit (raising a home’s comfort and energy performance to at least a B2 BER or better) can be achieved in two highly versatile ways. The first is a once-off holistic project encompassing a range of energy focused improvements overseen by one contractor under the One Stop Shop device. The other offers individual grant aid for accruing, incremental improvements harmonising with the budget and required time-scale of the householder.
Brian O’Mahony, Head of Community and National Retrofit for the SEAI, explains: “The benefit of the One Stop Shop is that it fully manages the entire project from start to finish, including the grant application. This makes the whole process easier and hassle-free for the homeowner.
They also benefit from getting the grant paid to them upfront, deducted off the cost of works. The One Stop Shop then claims the grant back from SEAI on completion of works. In terms of tendering, interested homeowners should contact one or more registered One Stop Shops to discuss timelines for their particular project.” Despite its addition demands, commissioning work through individual grants to uplift the BER, can provide progress and flexibility over a number of years as funds become available for those energy retrofit jobs.
Emer Burton is Programme Manager for Individual Home Energy Upgrades Scheme grant process with the SEAI.
“This grant route is not means-tested,” she explains, “and there is no requirement to achieve a minimum BER rating to be eligible. The homeowner manages their own project by selecting a registered SEAI contractor from our database of over 1,000 contractors.
“They then apply using our online application tool and will receive immediate grant approval. Once works have been completed, the homeowner claims the grant back from SEAI, which is paid directly into the homeowner’s account. This is a very popular ‘a-la-carte’ approach, with over €400 million having been paid out to date.”
So, where do we start in deciding which solution will work best for our home and our financial means? Who should elect for the major renovation, that multi-disciplinary improvement route with One-Stop-Shop grant awards of up to €35,000, or should we handle individual grants ourselves?
Helen Williams, Programme Manager of SEAI One Stop Shop scheme, points the way. “Carrying out a complete home energy upgrade is a complex job that requires excellent project-management skills, as well as strong retrofit expertise. The One Stop Shop fully manages the entire project including the grant application.
“Following a BER, if the homeowner is considering multiple energy upgrades to their home, they should carry out a Home Energy Assessment, available through the One Stop Shop service with a stand-alone grant of €350. This provides a technical report of the exact upgrades required to bring the home to a B2 rating, or better, together with estimates of the likely costs.
“Once the assessment is complete,” Helen continues, “the homeowner may choose to continue with the One Stop Shop service. Alternatively, they may decide to just tackle one or two energy upgrades, or to not to proceed with works at that time. They will still receive their €350 grant, so the Assessment is a great place to start so that you have a roadmap of the exact upgrades required.” Not everyone retrofit project is supported by SEAI grant aid. For example, replacing a conventional oil or gas boiler, there’s the chance to upgrade to a condenser-boiler with high efficiencies that is bio-fuel ready (to use hydrogenated vegetable oil/HVO or bio-gas).
Plumbing and wiring in any new heating source should be preceded by a raft of improvements to optimise the entire building’s energy performance. Insulation levels/air-tightness served by appropriate ventilation remains crucial to the home’s overall efficiency.
Consider dove-tailing available grant aid for insulation and renewables into other self-financed but worthy projects to deliver a warm, future-proof home with a light carbon footprint.
For anyone not familiar with the SEAI website, first explore their illuminating, Home Energy pages. Marketing Manager, Susan Andrews, adds: “This is so useful for homeowners as it provides a three-step guide to planning home energy upgrades. For example, the B2 Comparison tool, compares the homeowner’s home (energy performance) with a B2 rated version of a similar property.”
