Former Mayor of Waterford, Cllr Davy Daniels, has outlined details of a Home Energy Saving Scheme to be launched shortly, probably in March, for which 30 pc State funding will be available.
The scheme was piloted successfully last year in North Tipperary, Limerick, Clare and Dundalk, under the agency Sustainable Energy Ireland. Now it is to extend countrywide.
Under the scheme, householders will avail of a Building Energy Rating assessor to visit and give their homes a BER rating, along with advice on the works needed to improve energy efficiency. Homeowners will pay €100, about one-third, towards the cost of the assessment, with SEI subsidising the balance.
The assessor may advise that a house needs work such as attic insulation, interior or exterior wall insulation, low emissions double-glazing, heating control, or a range of other energy efficient works. The government will then cover 30 pc of the cost involved, to a maximum of €2,500. On completion of the work, a follow-up energy assessment on the building will be undertaken.
Cllr Daniels said the scheme would afford people the opportunity of saving financial outlay on home heating, as well as providing themselves with more comfortable living conditions and, at the same time, contributing to a “greener” environment, all with government aid.
Householders can register their interest with the SEI by ringing 1850-927000 and they will be contacted in return when the scheme is launched. Full details are also available on http://www.sei.ie/grants/pilot_home_energy_saving_scheme/.
