Better Energy Scheme

In Ireland – there have been grants available for a while now for homeowners who install insulation in their house
A new scheme called Better Energy was launched in May 2011 as part of the new governments jobs initiative.

Under the new scheme Irish householders can get a grants of up to €4000  towards insulating their house .
With the freezing winters we have been having – anything that reduces the cost of heating has to be a good thing.

Grants towards new boilers are also available from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).
The Better Energy scheme is available to any owner of a dwelling built before 2006. The work must be carried out by a contractor from the SEI’s registered list.
More details below of the amounts of grants available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme .

* All works must be carried out by a contractor registered with Sustainable Energy Ireland for this particular scheme.

The €100 million scheme will, it is expected, employ 4,000 people and benefit some 50,000 homes in 2009. It is estimates that about oOne million of the houses in Ireland require  need some retrofitting to achieve energy savings.

Those nice looking halogen downlighters in your home could be costing you hundreds of euros a year in elecricity. You could reduce your electricity usage by replacing the halogen bulbs with low energy LED bulbs.

The most common fitting for those spotlight type recessed downlights are GU10 fittings. Most halogen Gu10 bulbs are 50 watt bulbs – so a house with 20 of these lights would be using 1000 watts when they are all switched on.

If you had all these lights on for just 5 hours every day they would add €270 a year to your  electricity bill each year according to the ESB.*

You can buy these replacement  LED GU10 bulbs and 20 of those in use for 5 hours a day would use  just €22 worth of electricity a year.  That is a massive saving of 90%. A house with 20 of these halogen 50w Gu10 bulbs could cut their electricity bills by  €248 a year by switching to low energy 4  Watt LED bulbs.

That  is the equivalent (according to ESB) of using a vented tumble dryer 12 times every week (5kg load) all year.

The LED lightbulbs do cost   more than the halogen bulbs -  but in  less than a year you will start seeing a payback.
These LED bulbs last 10 to 15 times longer than ordinary halogen bulbs – so in the long term you will be even better off.
After 2016  Halogen bulbs will not be allowed at all under EU regulations.

You can buy these  LED GU10 bulbs online from Amazon with free delivery to Ireland – they fit straight into existing GU10 sockets and are exactly the same size. They are CE approved too.

These LED Gu10 Bulbs get good reviews too

* (Calculations as per the ESB online energy usage  calculator  based on  rates of 16.00c per Unit (including VAT) )

Grants are also available in Ireland for the installation of solar electricity panels.

Your home’s windows, walls, and floors can be designed to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and  reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design or climatic design. Unlike active solar heating systems, passive solar design doesn’t involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices, such as pumps, fans, or electrical controls to move the solar heat.

Passive solar homes range from those heated almost entirely by the sun to those with south-facing windows that provide some fraction of the heating load. The difference between a passive solar home and a conventional home is design. The key is designing a passive solar home to best take advantage of your local climate.

You can apply passive solar design techniques most easily when designing a new home. However, existing buildings can be adapted or “retrofitted” to passively collect and store solar heat.

The Passive House concept represents today’s highest energy standard with the promise of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply.

Direct gain is the simplest passive solar home design technique. Sunlight enters the house through the aperture (collector)—usually south-facing windows with a glazing material made of transparent or translucent glass. The sunlight then strikes masonry floors and/or walls, which absorb and store the solar heat. The surfaces of these masonry floors and walls are typically a dark colour because dark colours usually absorb more heat than light colors. At night, as the room cools, the heat stored in the thermal mass convects and radiates into the room.

An indirect-gain passive solar home has its thermal storage between the south-facing windows and the living spaces.

The simplest and most reliable sunspace design is to install vertical windows with no overhead glazing. Sunspaces may experience high heat gain and high heat loss through their abundance of glazing. The temperature variations caused by the heat losses and gains can be moderated by thermal mass and low-emissivity windows

BER Registered Assessors in County Roscommon

Brendan Deeney Co. Roscommon

Company: Deeney Architectural Planning Servi ces
Email: bdeeney@esatclear.ie
Address: Deeney Architectural & Planning Services Kiltobranks Ballaghaderreen
Tel: 094 9860908
Fax: 094 9860908
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Michael Hennessy Co. Roscommon

Company: APDS
Email: advanced-planning@hotmail.com
Address: Advanced Planning & Design Services Dorrary Carrick on Shannon
Tel: 0861701549
Fax: 0719620776
Expiry Date: 11/02/2009
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Shane Caslin Co. Roscommon
(Company: Think Energy Limited
Email: shane@thinkenergy.ie
Address: Think Energy Limited 16 Warren Grove, Boyle
Tel: 087 3154446
Fax: 0719662377
Web Site: www.thinkenergy.ie
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Simon Beale Co. Roscommon

Company: Clasby Beale Associates
Email: simon@clasbybeale.ie
Address: Millstream House Castlerea
Tel: 0949621628
Fax: 0949621627
Web Site: www.clasbybeale.ie
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Building Energy Rating Certificates are now mandatory on existing homes that are put up for sale or rent from today (Jan 1st 2009). Homeowners who are not selling or renting their house do not have to apply for a BER cert. If a house was put on the market before January 1st 2009 – it does not need a BER cert – but soon most buyers will expect to see one – so getting one done will probably help the sale of your house especially if the Energy Rating is a good one ( A, or B) .
SEI has been designated as the Issuing Authority with responsibility for the registration of BER assessors, logging of BER assessments and the overall administration of the BER Scheme. In order to obtain a BER, a homeowner must have an assessment carried out by a certified BER assessor who is trained under the National Framework of Qualifications and registered with SEI. A BER is based on the building’s characteristics, (walls, roofs, floors, windows, doors) as well as levels of insulation, ventilation, lighting, and heating systems, including renewable energy technologies.

Anyone buying or renting a new house or apartment may already be entitled to a BER and should ask the seller/landlord or their agent for it. Along with the BER certificate, they will also receive an Advisory Report which will help identify how to improve the energy performance of the building, reducing the energy costs in the home, and helping them do their bit for the environment.

A BER is valid for up to ten years provided that there is no material change to the dwelling. New homes offered up for sale off plans can be issued with a provisional BER which is valid for a maximum of two years.

Fines of up to €5,000 apply for non-compliance with the regulations.

With BER – Building Energy Ratings coming iinto force for all house sales in January 2009 – Insulation is an easy way of increasing your property’s BER.

Each type of insulation is fitted differently but most insulation can be installed as a DIY project. Whatever type of insulation you choose, you’ll need to make a few preparations before you start.
Before installing insulation

When you insulate your loft you’ll need to insulate pipes and tanks too

Wiring needs to be dealt with safely. Wires should be kept above the insulation but not stretched if they don’t comfortably reach. An electrician will be able to re-route any problematic wiring – see our guide to hiring an electrician.

All pipe work and tanks in the loft space should also be insulated correctly since there will no longer be the same amount of heat escaping into the loft space to protect pipes from freezing.

Insulation must be installed following the manufacturer’s instructions to achieve the full benefit.
Fitting blanket insulation

Blanket insulation is sold in rolls of different widths so start by measuring the distance between joists and buying the nearest size.

Ideally it should fit neatly between the joists. To calculate the right amount, measure the length of the floor space to be covered. Don’t stretch or tear blanket insulation – use scissors if it needs to be cut.

Unroll the insulation blanket and lay it flat between loft joists. If possible add a further layer of blanket insulation across both the joists and the lower layer of insulation. Boards can then be placed over the insulated space for easy access in the roof space.
Fitting loose fill insulation

Work out the floor space in square metres – you’ll need approximately 200 litres of material to cover each square metre to a depth of 200mm.

Before laying the material, ensure the space between the joists is relatively dust-free and that the depth of the joists is sufficient to hold an acceptable level of loose fill insulation.

The material should be poured between the joists in the roof space, ensuring there are no cracks or holes in the ceiling. Brush or rake between the joists to ensure the fill is consistently level.

If you’re not fitting boarding over the loose fill, check the level of the material during winter months as high winds can unsettle loose fill insulation and blow it around the roof space.

To insulate a loft hatch, it’s best to use blanket material held in place by plastic or an old sheet.
Fitting sheet insulation

This type of insulation is fixed between the rafters rather than between joists, and like blanket insulation it can be cut to fit or bought in pre-cut packs.

To avoid condensation build up, always allow sufficient space between the insulation and roof slates or tiles to allow for ventilation.
Fitting blown fibre insulation

In most cases you’ll need to hire a professional to install this type of insulation as it needs to be blown into place with specialist equipment.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources have announced a new Home Energy Saving Scheme aimed at encouraging homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. The scheme will target older housing as these homes are most in need of energy efficiency retrofitting.

Initially, there will be a regional pilot of the scheme in North Tipperary, Limerick, Clare and Dundalk. There will be an additional strand, which will allow for clusters of housing throughout the country. The full scale national programme will be rolled out in 2009.

The scheme will be administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and locally by the Tipperary Energy Agency, the Limerick/Clare Energy Agency and the SEI team in Dundalk.

A BER assessor will survey the home for a fee of 100 euro . The BER Assessor will be paid the rest of the full fee of 350 Euro by the Department.
The Government will then cover up to 30% of the cost of any work recommended by the assessor to make the house more energy efficient these works, to a maximum of €2,500. On completion of the works a follow-up energy assessment on the building will be undertaken so that there is a “before and after” test of what has been done.

BER – Building Energy Ratings are going to be big business in the coming months. The SEI is registering more assessors every month and getting a good fee from them. Trainers are making money from providing the courses for the BER assessors. The general public will be footing the bill for getting the Energy Rating Certificates for therir homes in 2009 when they want to sell them. One worrying thing is that there is nothing in place to audit or check up on the assesors. Many BER certs have been produced for new properties – but still the SEI has a blank page on it’s website headed “SEI Quality Assurance”. What is to stop a BER assessor from giving houses good ratings when they don’t qualify for them? Who  will check up on them? There is mention of a 5000 max Euro fine for giving wrong ratings out – but no mention of who or how the assessors will be audited or checked. The scheme is open to abuse  – but the SEI is getting 25 euro for each rating and should be expected to have a system in place to ensure accuracy and honesty.

Some of the registered Building Energy Rating Assessors in County Mayo

Company: National Energy Assessors
Email: louise.sweeney@nea.ie
Address: National Energy Assessors Lord Edward Street Ballina
Tel: 096 79477
Fax: 096 79466
Web Site: www.nea.ie
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Company: Energy Survey Services
Email: pat@energysurveyor.net
Address: Energy Survey Services 21 Esker Pines Devlis Ballyhaunis
Tel: 087 622 1209
Fax:
Web Site: www.energysurveyor.net
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Paul Crossan Co. Mayo Email: pcrossan@eircom.net
Address: 13 Dernan Grove, Ballina
Tel: 087 9152722
Fax:
Web Site:
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Company: Paul Rawson Designs
Email: rawson.paul@gmail.com
Address: Paul Rawson Designs Riverside House Newport Road Castlebar
Tel: 0876406218
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: CONNAUGHT
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Siobhan Sheil Co. Mayo Company: Sitecheck
Email: siobhan.sitecheck@gmail.com
Address: SITECHECK 3 Parklands Castlebar
Tel: 094 9023540
Fax: 094 902350
Web Site:
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: CONNAUGHT
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Company: Thomas Crowe
Email: thomascrowe@yahoo.com
Address: Ballinrobe Road Westport
Tel: 087 9185171
Fax:
Web Site:
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Building Energy Ratings Assessors (BER) in Co Kilkenny
Barry Lynch Co. Kilkenny

Company: EDPM Ltd
Email:
Address: EDPM Ltd Unit 5 Village Business Centre Upper New St Kilkenny
Tel: 0567723707
Fax: 0567756466
Web Site:
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: MUNSTER
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Ben Hickman Co. Kilkenny

Company: D. Brennan & Associates
Email: ben_hickman@hotmail.com
Address: D. Brennan & Associates 10 Patrick’s Court Patrick Street Kilkenny
Tel: 0567775452
Fax: 0567786416
Expiry Date: 21/02/2009
Locations covered: ULSTER, LEINSTER
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Mervin Doyle Co. Kilkenny

Company: The Energy Rating Assessment Co
Email: info@erac.ie
Address: The Energy Rating Assessment Company Ltd 6 Chapel View Stoneyford
Tel: 086 269 1561
Fax:
Web Site: www.erac.ie
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Ronan Meally Co. Kilkenny

Company: Ronan Meally Consulting Engineers
Email: info@rmce.ie
Address: Ronan Meally Consulting Engineers 1 City Wall James Street Kilkenny City
Tel: 056 7795428
Fax: 056 7795427
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Seamus Brennan Co. Kilkenny

Company: Heating & Energy Consultant
Email: seamusjbrennan@eircom.net
Address: ‘Fanore’ Bleach Road Kilkenny
Tel: 0872519853
Fax: 0567752914 

Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: LEINSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Stephen Calnan Co. Kilkenny

Company: Building Energy Rating Consultants
Email: stephen@berc.ie
Address: Ballytarsney Mooncoin
Tel: 087 2159844
Web Site: www.berc.ie
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: MUNSTER
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Thomas Downey Co. Kilkenny

Company: Thomas Downey
Email: tommiedowney@eircom.net
Address: Lower Kilmacow via Waterford
Tel: 051 885320
Fax: 051 885320
Expiry Date: 29/01/2009
Locations covered: LEINSTER, MUNSTER
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

Vincent Dunphy Co. Kilkenny

Company:
Email:
Address: Ballincrea Slieverue
Tel: 051 880927
Expiry Date: 31/12/2008
Locations covered: ULSTER, CONNAUGHT, LEINSTER, MUNSTER, DUBLIN
Registration Type: NEW DWELLINGS

List of BER Registered Assessors – Building Energy Regulations Ireland in County Cavan

Company: Brendan Smith Consulting Engineer
Email: bsce@eircom.net

Company: Airpacks Ltd
Email: sales@airpacks.ie

Company: P and S Civil Works Ltd
Email: declangaffney@pandscivilworks.com

Derek McCabe Co. Cavan
Company: CO2.ie
Email: derek@roebuckhouse.ie

Gerard Reilly Co. Cavan
Email: gerardreilly2000@yahoo.co.uk

Gerry Brady Co. Cavan
Email: egbrady07@eircom.net

Nevin Traynor Co. Cavan
Company: Traynor Environmental
Email: nevin@traynorenvironmental.com

Orla Daly Co. Cavan
Email: berandmore@hotmail.com

Company: PS Energy Rating
Email: psenergyrating@gmail.com

Paul Smith Co. Cavan
Email: smith_paul@eircom.net

In Ireland it is estimated that up to 200,000 people involved in rental or sale transactions  will need Building Energy Rating (BER) certificates each year.
A BER (Building Energy Rating) is the standard calculation of the energy performance of a building, produced by a qualified assessor.  The BER certificate is an energy label, similar to the ones used on  electrical appliances. This building energy label will rate the energy efficiency of each house.

Other sizes:M | L

Energy Rating of Residential BuildingsPrice: £49.50 GBP Lowest used price: £64.78 GBP

From the 1st January 2007 new dwellings applying for planning permission had to apply to have a provisional Building Energy Rating certificate.
From the 1st of July next year, this will also apply to non-domestic buildings and from 1st January 2009 this will apply to all existing buildings, domestic or non-domestic.A person wishing to sell or let a house will be required to get a BER carried out by a registered BER assessor and to provide prospective buyers or tenants with this information.
Energy Rating Assessor Procedure takes into account different factors, like exposure, floor area, materials, insulation, efficiency of heating control and design to calculate an overall energy value.

BER allows house hunters and tenants to compare the energy performance of two different houses. If a house has C2 energy rating another one has B2, the latter is a more efficient house and this will be  reflected in  the amount of money spent on heating the property.

SEI has currently a programme in place to train assessors in order to meet the increasing demand.  There are currently almost 200 assessors registered in the SEI official registry.
More are being trained – and there are several companies offering BER assessor training courses. Maybe this is a good career move for a builder ?