The Different Paths to Home Retrofitting
Here's a scenario. Your house is draughty and your home heating bills are high so you decide that you will retrofit your home. The first question you need to ask yourself is, 'Are you going to get one thing done, like insulate the internal walls, or will you do a deep retrofit and get it all done in the one go i.e., get it airtight, install a heat pump, solar etc?'
Whether you are thinking of doing home retrofitting bit by bit or all in the one go, the very first thing you are advised to do is a Home Energy Assessment. Read below to find out what this includes.
What is a Home Energy Assessment?
A home energy assessment is the technical report that details the energy upgrades needed to get your home to a BER rating of B2 or higher.
The report will include the following:
- A BER assessment
- A full technical report on the energy efficiency of your home
- Details on the energy upgrades needed to get your home to a B2 rating and better
- A heat pump technical assessment, detailing the energy upgrades needed to make your home suitable for a heat pump
- A report explaining how the recommended energy upgrades will improve the comfort of your home and help to reduce your energy bills
- An estimate of the costs of the recommended energy upgrades
The SEAI Home Energy Assessment grant of €350 can be used regardless of whether you go with the One-Stop-shop or manage the upgrades yourself.
It is necessary that these assessments and upgrades are carried out by an SEAI registered professional, these lists are regularly updated and can be found through the link below.
Find a Registered Professional | Grants | SEAI
What's a Building Energy Rating (BER)?
The BER is a measurement scale of how much energy your home uses for heating, lighting and ventilation. This rating system uses letter and numbers (ratings go from A to G) to distinguish the different categories for buildings.
Building Energy Ratings (BER) Explained
A rating - A building or home with excellent energy efficiency (top of the scale)
G rating - A building or home that needs attention and upgrades. (bottom of the scale)
Below is a sample BER Cert:
Continue reading below to find out the different types of upgrades that are available
Shallow Retrofit - Individual Energy Upgrades
If you decide that you will just get one thing done, and do the retrofitting process bit by bit each year, e.g., get cavity wall insulation the next year and external wall insulation the year after that, then the One-Stop-Shop is not for you and your retrofitting journey will be different.
Doing it bit by bit means that you will be responsible for hiring the contractors and applying for individual grants for the work you are planning for your home.
Below are SEAI Grant funded interventions you can install to upgrade your home according to your own timeline and budget
- Solar Electricity Installation
Deep Retrofit
Doing a deep retrofit means that you can avail of the One-Stop-Shop once you have checked that you are eligible. The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme gives your home a complete retrofit and is managed by a One-Stop-Shop provider
Making energy upgrades with the One-Stop-Shop means that the project management of your home retrofit will be taken out of your hands and everything will be coordinated by the registered One-Stop-Shop provider you have hired. Find a One-Stop-Shop provider here