Ireland

Retrofitting: ‘Our bills are the lowest that I’ve experienced while living in Dublin’

We asked Irish Times readers about their experience upgrading their homes

The new Home Energy Upgrade Scheme aims to help significantly improve energy efficiency. Photograph: iStock

Tue Feb 8 2022 - 17:22

Homeowners will have access to grants of more than €25,000 to cover up to half of the cost of retrofits to homes under plans announced by Cabinet today.

Grants will be offered to individual homeowners to help pay for increasing their home’s energy efficiency and the scheme will improve a dwelling’s energy efficiency to a high B2 rating.

The new Home Energy Upgrade Scheme aims to help significantly improve energy efficiency and ultimately reduce gas and electricity bills.

We asked Irish Times readers if you have carried out any major retrofitting work in your home. Below is a selection of our readers responses.

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I heard a lot of criticism on the radio this morning about heat pumps. My experience has been wildly different. We recently bought a 1923 terraced house. It required a full renovation as there was no insulation, no heating system and the wiring was in poor repair. As part of the renovation we fitted insulation, triple glazing windows, a decentralised mechanical ventilation heat recovery system and a heat pump. The house went from BER F to a B1. We're delighted with it and the systems all work great. Especially the heat pump. You just need to do the homework first and make sure the heat loss is right. There was 125mm insulation needed under the floor and even more in the attic but the external walls only needed 38mm to achieve our heat loss target. Regarding noise, the outdoor heat pump unit is really quiet. It's similar to my neighbour's gas boiler flue. And even then it's a white noise that is unobtrusive. The unit is only 3m from the house and can't be heard indoors. Our bills are the lowest that I've experienced while living in Dublin and now we have hot water 24 hours a day. We don't know ourselves. Andrew, Co Dublin

I externally insulated my home approximately four years ago. The house was built in 1969 with a hollow block and was dry lined on the inside. 150mm external insulation was applied and the attic insulation was topped up to the current recommendations. The house is now much more comfortable, retaining the heat and oil consumption has dropped by approximately €600 per year. The works cost approximately €14,000 net, after grants. Work was carried out by a contractor to a high standard. Conor, Co Dublin

In early 2020 we insulated our attic at a cost of €1,400 and installed a new composite front door for €1,500, replacing an old timber door which was leaking and letting out heat. In late 2021 we replaced a leaking back door for a triple glazed window at a cost of€ 600. In 2021 we also lowered the ceiling height of our sun room from 12ft to the standard 9ft, insulating behind the new ceiling, at a cost of €2,300. We also installed a new heating system. A wood pellet stove, at a cost of €9,900 euro, replacing our oil heating and turf burning stove and in the process sealing our chimney. The new heating system is zoned, meaning we can only turn on the heat downstairs, upstairs, to the water or to all. We also fitted TRV's to the radiators downstairs giving more control. We costed an air to water system and while the install costs were the same, the running costs were not. Our pellet stove runs off 10kg bags of wood pellets, costing €3.39 a bag. Our home is a south facing four bed dormer, built in 2007 at about a C1 standard. With the small works completed, we've improved upon this to a standard we are comfortable with. Using a bag and a half of pellets a day. All the work was done without grants and we will not be taking any further steps to retrofit our home as we now have a comfortable, efficient home to suit our needs. To anyone taking on the task of a retrofit, I would suggest keeping things simple, looking to the attic, doors and windows first. I would also advise costing the running of any new heating system being considered before installation. Marie, Co Galway

Bought a house in August 2019 and set about researching the best way to improve the low B rating. We contacted many suppliers to get advise and quotes – I made it clear that the project was to deliver a more efficient house. During Covid-19 we had the walls and attic pumped. We followed this up with a heat loss survey to identify the leaks and draughts. In 2021 we looked at solar, we engaged a registered fitter and installed a 16 panel solar system with battery storage. This allowed us to reduce our import of electricity to 69 per cent, which was better than expected. We also exported 147kwh back to the grid. Over all we have spent about €12,000 and our big 20 plus year old house has now achieved an A3 rating. The next phase is to look at a wind turbine to add to the solar and recharge the battery at night, and to replace the oil heating with a heat pump. Brian, Co Kildare

I upgraded a 20 year old house which included the attic, walls, ventilation, heat pump, windows, doors and other modifications. It was a great result. Significantly warmer and lower costs. Directionally the right thing to do. Martin, Co Meath

We spent €2000 pumping the walls and it has made a small difference but unable to calculate actually savings. This was done over two days and we also put an extra layer of insulation on the attic, costing approximately €600. We received no grant as our house was built in 2006-2007. Charlie O Connor

I live in a house located in Dublin and I retrofitted the attic with insulation, upgraded the gas boiler and radiators to a condenser boiler. I replaced the windows and doors to an A rated standard. I also got external insulation completed. I got a few quotes and went for best price and reputation and I'm very pleased with the results. I have changed electricity providers and got a Nest automated wifi enabled Thermostat (with home and away feature) supplied and installed for €130. The BER rating changed from D to B3 and I have much lower heating bills now. Michael, Co Dublin

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