ENERGY SAVING BLOG

QR EnerStar welcomed the €100 million Government’s Home Energy Saving scheme which aims to dramatically improve the insulation in Irish homes. Hundreds of thousands of Irish homes were built to low energy insulation standards; now home-owners can get attics, walls and floors retro-fitted and the Government will pay for a large percentage of the bill.

It is a national scheme and is thus open to all owners of existing houses. Homeowners who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their home in order to reduce energy use and costs and greenhouse gas emissions can now register their interest and receive grants. Landlords and owners of multiple properties may also apply, however they must submit a separate application form for each property.

At the moment the SEI is seeking contractors interested to apply for registration. Once there are sufficient registered contractors available to the scheme there will be a further announcement regarding householder applications.

Assistance will be provided by the payment of fixed grants towards the costs of implementing remedial measures. The types of measures eligible under this scheme are roof insulation, wall insulation and heating controls. There is also a grant for households who choose to get a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment Before and After the works are completed.

As a registered BER Assessor Company QR EnerStar can carry out your energy rating and pinpoint the measures your house would benefit from.

Grants are available for energy efficiency improvements  in the following areas:

·                            Roof Insulation

·                            Wall Insulation – this includes either cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation

·                            Replacement High Efficiency (> 90%) Gas or Oil fired Boilers with Heating Controls Upgrade*

·                            Heating Controls Upgrade*

·                            Building Energy Rating (BER) – an energy rating must be completed Before and After the remedial measures in order to be able to qualify for this grant

·         Grants are fixed for each type of measure as indicated in the table below. Grant approval must be in place before any purchase of materials or commencement of measures undertaken. Grants are paid after the measures are completed and the contractor has been paid by the homeowner. In the instance where the cost of the work (vat inclusive) is less than the fixed grant amount, the actual cost will be reimbursed.

* Please note that while you are entitled to apply for each Measure there is a minimum requirement that the grant amount in the first application must be €500 or greater. The BER grant cannot form part of this €500 amount

In order to qualify for the scheme you need to engage a qualified and registered BER Assessor  to perform an energy rating of your home with an accompanying Advisory Report, which will help identify areas that could improve your level of comfort along with reducing future heating bills.

For a homeowner to qualify for the Before and After BER grant they must undertake a BER before commencing any measures AND a subsequent BER once measures are completed.

In accordance with the scheme’s Terms and Conditions, Grant Approval must be in place prior to any purchase of materials or commencement of works is undertaken. Since the scheme is not currently open for application you should not undertake any works yet. If you have already done so, then unfortunately you will not be eligible for a grant.

However, the Before BER has to be done ahead of Grant Approval and could prove beneficial for homeowners who are uncertain about their options or what to get done first.

To find out more please call us on 01-6688304 or email by filling the contact form and we will call you back.