Posts belonging to Category Grants



Grants for Insulation

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 .

Insulation Attic Insulation €200
Wall Insulation – Cavity €320
Wall Insulation – External €4,000
Wall Insulation – Internal Dry Lining €2,000
Heating System High Efficiency Oil / Gas Boiler with Controls upgrade. €560
Heating Controls Upgrade only €400
Solar Heating €800
Building Energy Rating (BER) €80**

* 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.

Cavity Wall Insulation and Damp

With grants available and lots of publicity – there are many companies offering  cavity wall insulation . But – it may not be suitable for all properties because it can cause dampness inside the home incertain conditions.

Damp could occur in properties as a result of cavity wall insulation if there is a combination of these factors:

 

* your home is exposed to severe levels of wind-driven rain  (exposed or coastal areas or areas on high ground , open rural areas)

* your home is located in an unsheltered position; not protected by trees or other buildings

* the external walls are poorly-built or maintained with, for example, cracks in the brickwork or rendering.

In the UK – the Building Research Establishment says that in these cases there is ‘an increased risk of rain penetration if a cavity is fully filled with insulation’. Rain could penetrate the outer wall, bridge the cavity via the insulation material and transfer moisture to internal walls, causing damp.

Solar Electricity Panels Cost And Grants Ireland

Solar electricity systems capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting
Costs for installing a solar electricity system vary a lot – an average system (2.2kW) costs around £12,000 (including VAT at 5%). Per kW, solar electricity systems can cost in the region of €6,000 to €10,000 per kW, but costs per kW should reduce as system size increases.
Savings can be considerable – around 1 tonne of CO2 a year. A 2.2 kWp system can generate around 40% of a household’s yearly electricity needs. You can also make money on excess electricity by selling it back to the ESB
in Ireland.

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

Wood Pellet Boiler Grants

Wood Pellets are made up solely of natural, renewable raw material for which no forests have to be felled. Practically no sulphur dioxide, one of the main causes of acid rain and thus of forests dying, is emitted when pellets are burned. The ash is an excellent natural fertilizer for fields and gardens.

The advantages of wood pellet boilers are – Less volume to transport and store can be used in stoves and boilers Lower emissions, Exempt from CO2 tax, Pellets are dry and can be stored without degrading, Easier to ignite

Grants of upto €2500 are available for the installation of wood pellet boilers from The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)