Retrofit: Energy renovation nation keeping it green
The One-Stop-Shop approach to grant aid includes surveying the home, grant management, full design, and scheduling of the upgrade, engaging all contractors, finance options, and quality assurance. Your project manager will be at your side
It’s official. Attitudes are changing, and the benefits of home energy retrofits are becoming well understood in Ireland.
Some 22,000 energy upgrades were completed with grant aid through The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in the first half of 2023. That’s an impressive 150% up on the same period last year. 7,566 homes were elevated to a snug Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or higher, 210% up on the same period in 2022.
The fascinating thing here is not the figures (seismic societal shift always take time) - it’s the stunning acceleration of grant uptake that stands out. Irish home-owners and landlords are clearly coming to regard energy renovations as feasible, standard, long-term investments. The expectation of low-energy performance and increased levels of comfort is having a real impact on the property market too (more of that later).
Struggling with a cold, damp, energy-hungry home with a BER lurking down at an E or D? Despite the mutterings about opaque, complex technologies and onerous grant application forms, with a little research the path to sustainable, pleasant and affordable conditions in your home, is signposted.
There’s a wide variety of free support and user-friendly advice now on offer. SEAI grant grant-aid of between 30% - 70% for qualifying projects, can be rolled into lasting improvements as and when you can afford to include them. The grant system is proven, highly systematic and provides choices for every pocket. Whether you have €1,000 or €30,000 to invest, whatever the energy profile of your house, following the course of pioneering renovators, you can save on your energy bills, and take a meaningful stand against the challenges of our climate crisis. So, where do we start?
Do you know anything at all about the overall energy performance of your home (as-is)? With a recent BER, you already have an Advisory Report indicating how this building could do better in terms of insulation, heat loss and sustainable energy choices. A BER of B2 is the goal, but any improvement to a poor BER is worthwhile.
There will be some typical recommended DIY deeds outlined in a BER Report, like draught-proofing, but it’s the big-ticket projects to the fabric of the house we’re interested in. If you haven’t recently had a BER assessment completed, the SEAI offers a list of assessors, and you can redeem €50 from the SEAI for their fees. There are also various free commercial platforms including yourretrofit.ie, that can give you an idea of your energy deficiencies. These tools are based on a short, no-obligation online survey that includes rough costings, and indicating the potential impact various project could have on your lifestyle and bills.
With a significant capital outlay, any improvements must be cost-optimal – they have to make financial sense. If all you can do right now is to put 300mm of insulation in the attic (up to 70% grant aid) – then do that. Prioritise improvements you can afford, that make the most difference to your everyday comfort levels.
This could be upgrading the boiler (not grant aided), changing out the windows, or insulating the cavity of the exterior walls. The SEAI website together with dedicated chat groups on social media can help you to understand the real-world rewards, and what’s is and is not trimmed by grants. Research if your property has previously received any grants for energy upgrades. The SEAI can check for you through your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), the 11-digit number found at the top right-hand corner of your bill from your electricity supplier.
Finance options include savings, low-interest green loans and/or a green mortgage device. Many families choose intermittent, grant-aided work spread over several years (Individual Energy Upgrade Grants). Others will pull the house up to a BER of B2 (125 kWh/m2/yr) or even an A3 in one effort of multiple improvements over 2-5 months (the One-Stop-Shop).
Both approaches are catered for, but there are more grant options with One Stop Shop (€800 for each of 2 exterior doors and a €2,000 Heat Pump Bonus for example). The SEAI grant system is easy to navigate, offering up to €35,000 per property in support in their One-Stop-Shop scheme, and a list of over 1,000 SEAI registered contractors to tackle Individual Energy Upgrade Grant work aided from €700 – €8,000.
