Which SEAI grants are the most effective at making your home warmer?
As Ireland looks likely to face another winter with sky high energy bills, more and more people are inquiring about retrofitting their homes.
Generous SEAI grants are available to help offset the cost of making homes more energy efficient and carbon neutral.
On Lunchtime Live, architect Dermot Bannon said he recently met a woman who went to bed at seven in the evening because her house was so cold.
“It's like that's all up and down the country,” he said.
“People living in one room, turning on the stove or whatever.
“So, our houses generally as a nation are, we're really, really poorly insulated compared to the rest of Europe.”
An electricity bill. Picture by: Rosemary Roberts / Alamy Stock Photo. Mr Bannon added that the Government is “literally throwing money at you to upgrade your house” and urged anyone undertaking a renovation to include retrofitting.
“They'll spend money on an appliance garage, they'll spend money on an expensive couch or an expensive television - and yet they wouldn't insulate their house,” he described.
“And then they're they're kind of complaining about the cost of oil and all that; if your house is warm and cosy, it doesn't really matter what's around you.”
Spray foam being applied to a home. Picture by: JG Photography / Alamy Stock Photo.For those with a limited budget, Mr Bannon urged them to prioritise their walls.
“The walls are much bigger surface area than your windows,” he explained.
“Your windows should be number two or three on your list.
“If you're doing an old bungalow, what you need to do is insulate your walls first.
“So, if it's a cavity wall, pump your cavity; there's €1,200 of a grant for cavity wall insulation and it'll cost you about €2,500, €3,000 to do it.
“So, that will make it worth it.”
Mr Bannon added that after your home is well insulated, you should replace your gas boiler with a heat pump given how “volatile” fossil fuel prices are at the moment.
“If you can get yourself onto renewable energies over the next one, that would be the biggest investment you can make,” he said.
Main image: A man measures loft insulation to cut down heat loss in a house. Picture by: Global Warming Images / Alamy Stock Photo
