Ask the Expert

Running a sustainable home

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland share their top energy-saving tips for running your home as efficiently as possible

Get a Building Energy Rating (BER)

A BER certi cate indicates your home’s energy performance. Similar to the energy label for household appliances, the certi cate rates the building on a scale of A to G. e most energy e cient with the lowest energy bills and lowest emissions are A-rated, which use less than a sixth of the energy of a G-rated home. To get a BER certi cate, you will need to organise an assessment of your home with a registered BER assessor. Once you know just how e cient your home actually is, you can choose the best energy e ciency improvements for you and your budget.

Invest in Insulation

One of the rst steps you should consider to make your home more energy e cient is insulation. On average, a home loses 20 - 30% of its heat through the walls and up to 30% through a poorly insulated attic. Insulation will reduce heat loss and your heating bills. It will make your home more comfortable, and, as you will be using your heating less, you will also cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions.

Install a Renewable Heating System

Once you have made sure you home is well insulated and heat is not escaping, you should consider a renewable heating system. Heat pumps are environmentally friendly and are extremely e cient home heating systems in well insulated houses. e most common heat pumps work by converting energy from the air outside of your home into heat inside, much like the way a fridge cools food. ey provide a nice, even heat throughout the house, and reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.

Similarly, you can heat water easily with a solar thermal system. ese systems use solar panels to provide up to 60% of your hot water requirements for the year.

Try some of these other tips to make your home more energy e cient and to reduce your energy consumption and bills:

Heating

Turn the thermostat for your living areas down to 20°C. e temperature in hallways and bedrooms should be cooler, ideally between 15-18°C. You can reduce your heating bill by 10% by lowering your room temperature by just one degree.

Hot water

Set your hot water thermostat to between 60-65°C, to make sure that you do not overheat your water.

Heating timers

Set the times that your heating comes on and o so that it ts with your daily routine. Radiators will continue to heat your home for some time a er the heating is turned o , so try this: turn on your heating 30 minutes before you need it and turn it o 30 minutes before you don’t need it any more.

Switch to LEDS

Switching a single 42-watt halogen lightbulb to an energy e cient 9-watt LED will save about €7 per year. LEDS are o en only a little more expensive than their halogen equivalents, but will save you money in the long-term. Newer LED bulbs are branded as ‘so white’ or ‘warm white’ that glow just like an old-fashioned incandescent. Unlike compact uorescent lights (CFLS), LEDS are mercury-free which is better for the environment.

Appliances

Most of the energy used by a dishwasher and washing machine is for water heating. Run them on a lower temperature setting and wash full loads to save on your energy costs. Wash clothes at 30°C if they aren’t particularly dirty.

You can nd out more about energy in the home at seai.ie