Dermot Bannon’s Energy Efficient Home

1 The External Walls

Thirty-five percent of heat loss from your home is through the external walls. People always start with the windows but start with your walls and put in as much insulation as possible to get the lowest u-value (a measure of how long a wall or roof keeps heat inside).

If you can afford external insulation, install it as it completely wraps your home in a much thicker layer than you can ever achieve with internal or cavity insulation and it also carries the largest grant available. If not install internal insulation or dry lining but be really careful that you are not causing a condensation problem. Talk to the manufacturers or an architect before you install.

2 The Attic

Heat rises so the insulation of your attic is also paramount. Most older houses are lucky if they have a layer no thicker than a box of cornflakes so you need to be aiming for 1 .5 to 2 foot of insulation. When upgrading, make sure your attic is properly ventilated to stop condensation.

3 The Windows

I would upgrade your windows to the best performing u-value that you can afford: the smaller the u-value, the better the windows; you should be aiming to a figure of around 0.7.

4 Air-tight

Making your house air-tight is essential. We made our home airtight and honestly, the winters are amazing. This simply means sealing up all the gaps and cracks.

5 The Next Level

Install clever thermostats. You can get a good one for about €50. They can read when you’re in the room and are key to having the heating switched off when you don’t need it.

Upgrade your boiler to a 92% efficient version – anything eight years or older won’t be that efficient. Other simple jobs that have a great pay-off are things like installing a lagging jacket on your hot water cylinder, installing energy efficient light bulbs and making sure that any of the pipework around the house is insulated.