Sir, – Your article on low-cost house retrofits (“How to retrofit your home and slash your energy bills”, Your Money, August 8th) states that the cost of a retrofit ranges from €25,000 for a house built post-2000, to €75,000 for a larger and older house. You also include figures from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, stating that the average cost of a retrofit is €56,000 gross, this reducing to about €30,000 with grants. However, what is not included in any of these figures are the figures quoted to householders, in cases when the householders choose not to proceed. Based on my experience to date, the pre-grant figures can be close to €150,000, post-grant €115,000. These are totally different than the figures in your article.
In my view, a large number of people are being priced out of the market, but no one is talking about this. It’s no wonder that the level of retrofitting to date has been well below the stated targets. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN CULLEN,
Rathfarnham,
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Dublin 16.