Making your home energy efficient
WE’RE all at home a lot more these days using a lot more oil as temperatures remain very low.
The harsh realities of Covid mean most of us will be working at home for the rest of 2021 and possibly into 2022, on a blended work basis.
Thankfully, homeowners were boosted in the 2021 Budget when the government announced historic supports for retrofitting homes.
The launch of the national retrofit programme through SEAI with significant scaling up and streamlining of retrofit programmes for homes and communities.
The total allocation for homes and community retrofit is €221 million. This represents a €100 million, or an 82 per cent increase, on this year’s budget with the increase funded through carbon tax revenue. This allocation includes additional supports for low-income homes with a budget of €109 million.
On average, a home loses 20 to 30 per cent of its heat through the walls which rises even further if they are not insulated. Up to 30 per cent can be lost through a poorly insulated attic. Insulation will reduce heat loss and your heating bills.
Grants of up to €6,000 are available to home owners from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
The SEAI range of wall and attic insulation grants can help make your home more energy efficient and comfortable. A contractor registered with SEAI can help you to choose the best insulation type for your home.
Reducing heat loss through your walls will reduce your energy consumption. As you will be using your heating less, you will also cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions.
INSULATION TYPES
Attic insulation Ceiling level roof insulation is generally the most cost effective of any energy efficiency upgrade made to a house. Even if you have some attic insulation you should upgrade it to today’s standard of 300mm of rockwool or equivalent.
Cavity wall insulation
This is a very cost-effective method of wall insulation. A cavity wall consists of two rows of brick or concrete block with a cavity or space between them. Injection of insulating product from the outside is the best method for insulating this type of wall. If your home is built using solid wall or hollow block construction methods, cavity fill insulation is not possible. You have two options: either internal wall insulation or external wall insulation.
Internal wall insulation
Internal insulation is also known as dry lining. This usually involves fixing composite insulation board containing insulation, a vapour barrier and plasterboard to the wall. The board is applied to the inside of the external walls. External wall insulation
External insulation involves fixing insulating materials such as mineral wool or expanded polystyrene slabs
to the outer surface of the wall. The insulation is then covered with a special render to provide weather resistance. A steel or fibreglass mesh is embedded to provide strength and impact resistance.
The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government introduced new Building Regulations (Part L) that came into force on November 1, 2019.
The Building Regulations require that after any alteration to a minimum of 25 per cent of your home’s surface area, your home either achieves a minimum B2 BER rating or your heating system and attic insulation comply with the Building Regulation standards.
If you are applying for an SEAI grant for External or Internal Wall Insulation and you commenced works after November 1 you will be required to comply with these new Building
Regulations as a condition of your grant payment.
In some cases external insulation may require planning permission e.g. protected structures, architectural conservation areas or where the works result in an alteration in the front profile of the property.