The home has always been a place that revolves around your family and it needs to work for you and your family. If you are looking at ways to make your home more efficient, we have some tips that can help. Whether you are looking to increase your energy rating on your home or taking on a new build there are ways to improve your current or new home with a range of home energy upgrades.
It is always helpful to start with what your current BER rating is. You can find a registered BER assessor online and they will assess your home and provide you with a BER certificate and a list of ways to improve your rating.
Some common ways to instantly improve your rating:
1. Lighting
Use energy efficient low energy light bulbs. This will have an immediate effect on your energy bills.
2. Lagging jacket
To save money a thick lagging jacket for your boiler or hot water cylinder will keep the water heated for longer.
3. Check your ventilation
Reduce draughts and check any open chimneys in your home. When chimneys are not is use you could consider using a chimney balloon. It may be worth noting if some vents need replacing to provide better airflow.
4. Windows and doors
A more expensive improvement would be replacing windows and outside doors with double or triple glazed options. Single glazed windows tend to lose a lot of heat.
Some larger areas to focus on to improve your BER rating may be more feasible with the help of grant schemes.
These include the following energy savings options:
1. Insulation
These could include insulation of walls, attic or floors, pipe insulation and removing draughts. It’s estimated that 30% of heat is lost through a badly insulated roof while adding wall insulation to your home improvements could save you up to €600 in heating bills alone.
2. Heating Improvements
Installation of heating controls will allow you to use zoned heating. You can heat water while not turning on the heating to the rest of your house and visa versa. Other heating improvements include solar water heating and replacing an old boiler with an energy efficient one.
3. Renewal Energy Sources
Solar Panels will save you between €200 – €300 on electricity bills while using clean energy sources to heat your home.
Grants are available for home energy upgrades and improvements and/or new build systems under the below schemes and can be found on the SEAI website.
- Insulation grant
- Heat Pump system grant
- Heating controls grant
- Solar water heating grant
- Solar electricity grant
Since 2011, seai.ie have been involved in €400 million worth of investment into sustainable energy projects in Ireland. Making your home more energy efficient will help you in the long term with bills.
Looking for other ways to save on your home energy bills? Read our blog article here with some helpful money saving tips while reducing your carbon footprint.
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