I bought my first home this summer, a 41sq m (441sq ft) one-bed top (second) floor apartment in a large development in Dublin 8. It was built in 2000 and has a Ber rating of E1, which I would like to improve. However, most of the information I can find about energy upgrades, including on the SEAI [Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland] website, is much more relevant to houses than apartments. I haven’t found any companies specialising in apartment energy upgrades in my area.
There are obvious challenges, such as that I can’t put anything on the external walls so a heat pump and external insulation are not possible, and I’ve been told there is not enough space above my ceiling for extra insulation. I do own the windows which are double glazed but probably not up to modern standards. However, I imagine replacing second-floor windows is quite complicated and costly. I am getting an infrared heating system installed which should be more efficient than the other electric heating options available to me (there is no gas in the building), but I don’t know if this will improve my Ber rating without other upgrades. I am aware a lot of this heat will be wasted. I would be grateful for any information you may have.
This is a huge issue faced by very many people in apartment buildings which are also known as multi-unit developments or MUDs for short. It is a particularly serious issue for people on fixed incomes such as pensions or social welfare payments because as energy costs rise, people’s living standards fall, leading them into energy poverty in many instances.
According to the Central Statistics Office, more than 200,000 apartments/flats were occupied in 2016, with about half owner occupied. In the main these were in older, energy-leaking units with direct electric heating systems.
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As you mention, many State-supported energy-saving incentives are available to homeowners and private landlords through the SEAI. These include the Better Energy Homes scheme, which is available for individual homeowners and housing bodies. Tackling energy inefficiency in apartment buildings is a much more difficult scenario, particularly in older or larger buildings with multiple ownerships as most of these incentives are directed towards large property-investment funds. However, there is no requirement for them to implement energy upgrades for rented properties until 2030.
Historically apartments were considered to have better energy efficiency than individual houses due to the lower amount of external surfaces. I suspect this, together with the multiple ownership aspect, is partly why attention has been slow to focus upon them.
However, as energy standards have risen it has become clear that the default method of heating apartments by direct electrical systems or even the infrared system you are proposing are now inappropriate. As a result, newer blocks with building regulations-compliant thermal efficiency are turning to heat pumps and centralised or similar systems.
The Better Energy Communities scheme run by the SEAI could have dealt with this shortfall. However, it currently fails to fully address this issue with the big risk that we will fall short of the Government’s climate action plan targets.
Your first port of call should be to the owners’ management company (OMC) in your MUD as it will usually have responsibility for the external fabric of the building, often including windows. Ask it to survey all the residents to see if they might be willing to participate in a study aimed at reducing energy bills. If there is consensus then you may have an opportunity to look at a number of different options.
Apartment living is far more common elsewhere in Europe and many of the issues you face have been overcome using exhaust-air heat-pump systems
This might start with the relatively straightforward replacement of old, leaky windows, the costs of which might be apportioned across all the residents and the process managed by the OMC. Dealing with walls may be a bigger problem and clearly, as we can see from the fallout from the inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy, it is vital to ensure that any work that is undertaken in this area is overseen by an appropriately qualified consultant and that it meets certified design standards.
Apartment living is far more common elsewhere in Europe and many of the issues you face have been overcome using exhaust-air heat-pump systems. These are starting to become more available here and are worth looking into as they can be up to six times more energy efficient than traditional systems. Clearly these could lead to much-reduced energy bills for you and your fellow residents.
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These systems work by extracting the warm, stale air from bathrooms and kitchens while transferring the otherwise wasted energy into incoming fresh air as well as using the increased efficiency of the relatively small heat pump to heat your hot water. The further benefits are that it can all be fitted internally with no external unit and can use existing wall penetrations, so it doesn’t affect the external fabric of your building. It should be noted though that internal ducts are often required.
The unit itself can usually fit in the hot press to replace an existing cylinder space and uses existing 13-amp electrics. Such units also ensure that you have good air quality with the added potential of being able to cool your apartment during hot weather. So again this is a way of improving your environment.
The SEAI may also provide you with a grant for the heat pump so it is well worth inquiring with your specific details. While your building fabric, walls, windows, etc may still be inefficient in terms of energy conservation, such systems can dramatically reduce your energy bills.
There are a number of SEAI-approved consultants who specialise in assessing buildings or who can carry out a retrofit assessment on your building. They can be found at https://www.seai.ie/grants/find-a-registered-professional/.
Or you may contact your local chartered building surveyor with experience of OMCs and retrofitting apartment buildings.
Fergus Merriman is a chartered building surveyor and a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
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