Deep Retrofit Resources for Home Owners

 

Did you know that as a home owner, you can apply for a deep retrofit through contracts or energy agencies?

 

New or current home owners may be eligible for a Deep Retrofit through contracts or energy agencies. In case you weren’t aware Deep Retrofit is a government-backed Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) initiative designed to ensure that energy inefficient houses over 12 years old with an F or a G BER rating are brought up to a minimum A3 standard.

 

Deep Retrofit works and improvements typically include:

 

• Attic and external insulation
• Introducing PV solar panels for electricity
• A heat pump to replace oil or gas
• Window and door replacements

 

Home owners are encouraged to apply for up to 50% grant aid under the Deep Retrofit programme. It is providing home owners with an excellent opportunity to improve their homes energy rating. Especially houses built in the 60’s or 70’s that are incapable of being or becoming energy efficient without significant upgrading works. More modern homes are equally capable of applying once the home has an F or G BER rating.

 

The Deep Retrofit Programme offers between 50% and 95% of grant aid. SEAI has estimated that a sum of over €35 billion will be required over 35 years to make the existing housing stock low carbon by 2050. Furthermore, the hope is that the programme will not only facilitate current home owners of older homes but also encourage prospective buyers to consider second hand or older homes. There are some rules that need to be consider too as the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) scheme is only open to householders, local authorities or agencies who collect five or more homes together and make a joint application. Conveniently, they can be part of housing associations or local authority schemes, or neighbours, family or friends who own their own homes. The best thing is they don’t essentially have to reside in the same county.

 

It is believed that many Irish homes will take advantage of the Deep Retrofit programme and this will inevitably, go a long way in meeting the 2050 targets for reducing CO2 emissions. Adopting renewable energy will allow Ireland to meet its environmental targets and this is something that is vitally important to our generation, especially those ahead of us. The consequences of not meeting them is quite significant with climate change and all the negativity that ensues from that. The consensus is that this is a good move for homeowners and these renovations will improve the health of COPD or Asthma sufferers.

 

The process for an application is quite simple and if you are a homeowner interested in the Deep Retrofit of your home, you should contact your local authority, local energy agency or community group to go through your options. They are currently not accepting applications from individual homeowners as the pilot of the programme is under analysis and hopefully in the future they will be able to move towards single homeowners.

 

You can find out more here: https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-grants/deep-retrofit-programme/

 

 

If you are considering buying or selling in the South Wicklow and North Wexford areas in 2018, call into one of our offices (located in Carnew and Gorey) and chat to any of our expert team or you can contact us online at kinsellaestates.ie. We are happy to facilitate overseas buyers and sellers via Skype or similar, outside of regular office hours.  Alternatively, email me directly on michael@kinsellaestates.ie or telephone: +353 53 94 21718