How to run your house at a profit – like an eco warrior!
Being environmentally aware helps the planet... and it’s also kind to your bank balance
Environmental protesters took to the streets this week to campaign against climate change. Over 1,000 people – several Irish – were arrested in waves of peaceful protests across the world by Extinction Rebellion (XR). Swedish schoolgirl activist Greta Thunberg also admonished the UK parliament about what the older generation has done to the planet.
‘We probably don’t even have a future,’ she told MPs.
The stats are pretty grim: 60% of wildlife populations have been wiped out by humans since 1970.
And that figure will increase to 90% as global warming continues – without radical changes in the next few years, that don’t appear likely to happen.
The good news is that you can do your bit to save the planet – and save money at the same time.
And by acting now you might also spare yourself the grief you’re going to get from your children and grandchildren when they inherit the mess we’ve made.
Renewable energy has been getting cheaper, more efficient and more grant-aided as Ireland makes an attempt to avoid massive fines for failing to meet carbon emissions targets.
When eco consultant Donnachadh McCarthy installed solar panels in his retro-fitted Victorian home in London in the 1990s, they cost €12,000 per Kw of power produced.
Now that cost has plummeted to just €1,000, he says.
A solar panel system could knock €266 a year off your energy bills, according to our energysaving authority, the SEAI. Donnachadh even manages to run it at a profit (see opposite page).
Irish grants are more generous than those available in the UK, so it should be even more cost-effective to do what he did here.
You can get grants here ranging from €700 up to €3,800 to install solar panels.
This amounts to around a third of the outlay, which ranges from €3,000 to €10,000 for installation of solar panels.
The savings you make on energy costs increase exponentially the bigger the system, so it is worthwhile to go as large as you can afford.
That still leaves a sizeable outlay, but it should pay for itself within nine years, according to the SEAI.
A home can also lose 30% of its heat through poorly insulated walls. And so insulation also qualifies for grants ranging from €400 for the attic (always well worth doing) to €6,000 for external insulation.
If you want to get your house A-rated, you could go for a deep retro-fit.
But be warned: this is the stuff that brings drama to architect Dermot Bannon’s makeovers on his TV shows.
The grant itself, the potential savings and the boost to the value of your home are all huge.
It can cost €30,000 for a semi-d and then the home has to be tested to ensure the fitting has
been effective. But if all goes well, you could get back 50% of your outlay.
Also available from the SEAI are grants for solar water heating, heating controls and heat pump systems (which draw warmth out of the earth).