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) )

The new BBC Dragons Den had the investors all queuing up to give money to a company called PloughCroft Solar that installs solar panels to generate electricity.

In the UK – the Government pays householders to feed electricity generated into the national grid.The rate is 43.3p per unit of electricity  – this  Feed-in Tariff is guaranteed until 2035.
A 2kW system, on average, should  result in UK householders being paid  £900 annually as well as saving £140 on their own electicity bill.
WIth typical installation costs of around £11000  – and with electricity prices rising every year – householders could make a profit over 25 years of at least £10000

Solar PV or Photovoltaic cells generate  electricity from  a series of crystalline silicon cells, grouped into a framed panel and encased in toughened glass. The action of light on these cells is to create a direct current, which is then converted to alternating current which can be used in the home or can be  fed into the National Grid.

As with “normal” solar panels  – they are usually fitted onto the existing roof, although there are some which fit flush, and replace the existing tiles or slates.

Here in Ireland – we are not so lucky. ESB Electric Ireland currently offers a “Micro-generation”  payment of just of 9 cents per kWh to residential customers. The UK payments are more than 5 times the Irish levels.

If you are interested – here are the contact details for the ESB :

ESB Electric Ireland Micro-generation Scheme:

General Enquiries 1850 372 372

Registration for payment contact:

Dave Byrne 087 647 1791

Postal address:

Micro-generation Scheme

ESB Electric Ireland

FREEPOST F9

27 Lower Fitzwilliam Street

Dublin 2

email:  microgen@esbelectricireland.ie

Solar energy is the ultimate renwable energy source.There are three methods used in Ireland to get the benifts of the suns heat and energy.

Passive solar energy homes is a way in which homes are bulit to maximise solar gains in the home by avoidin g heat loss thorugh the buling and ensuring a good level of comfort by ventalitaion.

Another method used in Ireland is Active solar heatin.this is the way solar collectors (solar panels) are used to transform sunlight into heat.

The final method used is solar photovolatic systems.This is the use of semiconductor materials to convert solar energy into electricity.This si used in outdoor lamps or watches.It is now used in Ireland as a application when grid connection is too expensive

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

Geothermal heating harnesses natural thermal energy from within the Earth’s crust for water and space heating. This method of heating is hailed for its energy efficiency, lack of pollution, and financial benefits.

A series of pipes are set up in a loop beneath the house and cooled water is pumped through. As the water passes through the ground, it conducts heat, which is then re-extracted in a heat exchanger below the house. The heat that the exchanger pulls from the water and the heat created as a by product of the exchanger’s work are used to heat the house.

By far the greatest benefit is cost. This form of heating costs a fraction of the price of conventional heating systems in use in Ireland today. Thanks to a low consumption of electricity and minimal maintenance costs, there is an energy saving of 70% in comparison to conventional heating systems. A geothermal heat pump reduces a home’s annual heating energy use by 50 to 70 per cent. In addition, the system can also reduce space cooling costs up to 40 per cent and domestic water heating costs up to 25 per cent.

The costs of these systems vary, but the cost of an 8KW heat pump and the outside pipes is generally around €16,000 in Ireland.

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

Keeping your home warm this winter is a priority for all of us. The freezing temperatures mean we are all getting through the supply of wood , coal  and turf much quicker.
Sometimes picking up the odd bale of briquettes or bag of coal  from the garage can be a pain – so why not just order in bulk online and get it delivered to your house.
Woodies sell a range of solid fuels – logs, wood briquettes, coal and wood pellets.
You can order as much as you want – with free delivery on orders over €300. (€15 on orders under €300)  See the solid fuels available at Woodies here . Look under Home Decor – Home Heating then select Fuels

Solar water heating

An average household can save about 50% of the annual cost of hot water using solar panel.

There are two main types of solar water heating panels - flat plate and evacuated tubes (referring to the way in which water interacts with the panel). Evacuated tubes are more efficient than flat plate versions, so are often smaller but generate equal amounts of hot water.

Choosing a solar water heating system

When choosing a solar water heating system, you’ll need to consider a number of factors including your average hot water usage, the area of south facing roof, the existing water heating system and your budget.

You’ll need roughly one square meter of collector area per person in the household. Each metre of panel area will need between 30 and 60 litres of water tank volume.

If you use a less efficient collector (like flat plate solar water heating panels), you’ll need to cover a larger area than if you use a more efficient collector (like evacuated tubes). You’ll also need to select system components (like a hot water cylinder, controls and pipe work) and choose the location for your panels considering shade, pipe runs, roof pitch and future access.

Solar water heating can provide about a third of your hot water needs
Pros

* Solar water heating can provide you with about a third of your hot water needs and about £40 a year off your hot water bills, depending on the fuel replaced.
* Solar energy is free, plentiful and clean.

Cons

* Provides hot water but not electricity.
* An unshaded, south-facing location is necessary to install solar panels.
* Initial costs are higher than conventional electric and gas-heater systems.
* Solar panels can be heavy, so your roof must be strong enough to take their weight, especially if the panel is to be installed on top of existing tiles.
* Solar panels are expensive compared to the amount of electricity they’ll produce in their lifetime.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels

PV solar panels generate electricity from the sun’s energy rather than just heating your water. You’re more likely to see these on offices or large developments than on homes.

You can use PV systems for a building with a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south, as long as no other buildings or large trees overshadow it. Less energy will be generated if the roof surface is in shadow for parts of the day.

The are three basic types PV panels: monocrystalline, polycrystalline (or multicrystalline) and amorphous. All are made from silicon, but differ in the way the silicon is cut and treated to create collar cells.

To install a system you need to decide how much electricity you want to generate. After submitting details of your property, a PV installer should help you to conduct a site survey and discuss your options with you.
Pros

* Only daylight is needed to create energy – not sunshine.
* Can cut average household electricity bill by about 30%.
* Solar energy is free, plentiful and clean.

Cons

* A large roof area is needed to generate lots of energy.
* Significantly more expensive to buy and install than solar water systems.
* Solar panels are expensive compared to the amount of electricity they’ll produce in their lifetime.
* The efficiency of solar panels depends on the number of solar light hours and climate.
* Initial costs are higher than conventional electric and gas-heater systems.
* An unshaded, south-facing location is needed for installation.
* Solar panels can be heavy, so your roof must be strong enough to take their weight, especially if the panel is to be installed on top of existing tiles.

PTSB have launched a Green Mortgage – basically any PTSB Irish mortgage applicant can ask for the Green Mortgage – and get  the following

1. 10% off a Botanic Greenhouse at www.botanicgreenhouses.ie

2. €1,000 discount off a Shomera at www.Shomera.ie

3. 15% off a new bicycle at www.cycleways.com

4. Free electricity meter (worth €42) when you spend €150 at www.ecoshop.ie

5. 10% off all solar powered needs at www.solartechnology.ie

6. 10% discount and free delivery of all water collectors at www.ecoshop.ie

7. A tree planted in the mortgage customer’s name by the Tree Council of Ireland.

8. A chance to win one of 50 home energy surveys from National Energy Assessors .

Once customers have completed the tie breaker question on the Green Mortgage Form they will be in with a chance to win an Energy Assessment.

National Energy Assessors will conduct an assessment of the winning customers’ homes and advise them of any energy saving methods they could adopt into their home.

With the introduction of the €4,200 ‘Greener Home Scheme’ grant last year, wood pellet boilers and stoves are now a popular choice for domestic heating .
With oil and gas prices probably rising in the future , it will be  significantly cheaper to run a heating system on wood pellets.
Wood pellet systems are also more  environmentally friendly because they use a renewable source of fuel.  Supply of pellets may be a problem – but hopefully suppliers will move in to fill ang gaps.At first glance, wood pellet  boilers appear to be expensive to install in comparison to conventional systems, but  this should be  outweighed by the running cost savings and environmental benefits over the long term.There are many types of  wood pellet heating systems  on the market with options available for automatic loading ,  self-regulated lighting, cleaning and ash removal.
The cost of storing pellets and feeding them to your boiler at the right times, is something that needs to be considered.  Many boilers have an integrated ‘day hopper’ that usually holds about 60 kg of pellets which will probably keep the boiler running for just a few days during the winter months. If you do not want to worry about remembering to refill the hopper manually every few days you will need a much bigger store that will feed into the day hopper as necessary, and of course if you can buy them in bulk and store them, the pellets will be significantly cheaper.

The new regulations that came into force from 1 January 2007 mean tha all newly constructed dwelling for which planning permission was applied for on or after January 1st, 2007 – must have an Energy Rating cert.

It is unlikely that properties that only had planning applications in January would be ready to be sold yet – but if you are buying  “off plan” -  a provisional BER certificate must be produced by the builder or .
When the new dwelling is completed, a full BER certificate must be supplied to the buyer, based on the plans of the dwelling as constructed (to take account of any design changes during construction. A Provisional BER certificate lapses on completion of the dwelling or after 24 months, whichever is the sooner.

If you hire a builder to build a house on your own site – then it is your job to organise the  BER certificate  prior to taking up occupation of the dwelling.

Who will check up on these BER certificates ?

If you fail to get  a BER cert -  you will be liable, on conviction in the District Court, to a maximum fine of €5,000.
Failure to secure a BER certificate at the proper time could hinder or delay the legal completion of a sale or letting or a future disposal of the relevant dwelling