IT makes sense to upgrade your home in an energy friendly ways in the light of generous grant assistance and facilitating a greener, finer planet.
Insulation offers value that is threefold. You save on bills and save on energy burned to warm and run the property, as well as upgrading your home’s market value and increasing its Building Energy Rating (BER).
Get your home assessed for BER certification, whether it is for sale or not. The resulting rating, A to G and with up to three bands in each letter, might well surprise you into action.
The accompanying advisory report with your certificate will have been expertly compiled, with these recommendations likely to move you up the A to G ratings:
* Cavity wall insulation, drylining or external wall insulation all help to retain expensive heat indoors.
* Check loft insulation. Many homes, secure in the knowledge the loft/ attic was insulated years ago, have as little as 100m depth laid. The current legal minimum for new housing is 250m. Double and triple your attic insulation for €c.300 and payback in reduced electricity bills by the year end.
* Install double or triple glazing when and where possible – you can even retain the original teak or hardwood frame. Check the new seals holding glass to window frame to wall with thermal imaging or by getting an air pressure test done.
* When replacing windows, purchase windows with the lowest possible U-value (thermal radiation)
* If renovating or if building a new property, you can insulate beneath floors and behind wall tiles. Talk to an SEAI registered firm.
* A heavy lagging jacket for the hot water cylinder is essential for every home.
Other than insulation it also makes sense to introduce other changes over time:
* ‘A’ rated kitchen appliances
*Switch from fossil fuels to cleaner renewable energy heating systems
*Use low energy lighting throughout your house
* Install thermostats on all radiators
* Install a condensing boiler
