Ireland’s leading renewable energy group has described the Government’s EUR100 million national insulation programme as “a drop in the ocean” in terms of the total funds required to upgrade the local and national housing stock.
The Renewable Energy Skills Skillnet (RESS), which was established in Ennis in 2004, has warned that Ireland will struggle to achieve building efficiency ratings of 60 per cent within ten years, as envisaged by the EU. The organisation, utilising figures from a recent report by the Irish Institute for International and European Affairs, said it would cost County Clare alone an estimated EUR1.308 billion to achieve this target by 2018.
RESS Chairperson Johnny Flynn stated, “Despite our dire economic position, the Government must be praised for going some way to meeting its commitments to energy efficiency. Regrettably, however, this insulation programme is insufficient on its own to address the task of upgrading over one million poorly insulated homes across the country.”
He explained, “In order for the 100 million euro scheme to be fully taken up this year, it is estimated that householders will be required to invest a matching EUR200m to bring their homes up to the 2018 standard. This combined EUR300m investment, however, will only lead to 5-10% of Ireland’s poorly insulated homes being upgraded sufficiently. The reality, therefore, is that the Government will have to provide an estimated EUR200m annually for the next ten years so as to ensure Ireland achieves the required building efficiency ratings.”
Mr. Flynn, who is an engineer, environmentalist and Ennis Town Councillor, pointed out that the poorly regulated building boom of recent decades had Clare left householders and taxpayers to pick up the cost of retrofitting their homes. “The Government and Local Authorities across the country have inherited this problem and must intervene by devising and implementing more significant and long term corrective measures. If they fail to do so then Clare householders will continue to waste millions of Euro each year on heating poorly insulated homes. In the meantime, the Government must ensure that the newly announced insulation scheme is implemented effectively,” Mr. Flynn noted.
He commented, “Central to ensuring the success of the new programme will be the quality of the initial Building Energy Regulations (BER) assessment of individual homes and the subsequent signing off of the works. Consumer protection is paramount and I would hope that the BER assessors being employed under this scheme will be experienced and competent.”
“RESS hopes that during these assessments householders will consider renewable energy technologies as potential fossil fuel replacements in order to reduce their energy costs. This will further help the Government and Ireland to tackle climate change and achieve greater economic competitiveness and security of energy supply,” Mr. Flynn concluded.
Meanwhile, RESS has called on the Government and Sustainable Energy Ireland to consider expanding the Greener Homes Scheme to include local authority rented accommodation units. Dick Whelan, RESS Project Leader, said that long-term tenants should be entitled to individually apply for grants to improve energy efficiency and to incorporate renewable technologies in their homes. He added, “The upgrading of poorly heated and insulated social housing units will contribute greatly to Ireland achieving building efficiency ratings of 60 per cent by 2018. After all, the vast majority of these units were constructed before the introduction of environmentally sound construction methods and materials in the building of new homes in 1997.”
The Renewable Energy Skills Skillnet (RESS), which was established in Ennis in 2004, has warned that Ireland will struggle to achieve building efficiency ratings of 60 per cent within ten years, as envisaged by the EU. The organisation, utilising figures from a recent report by the Irish Institute for International and European Affairs, said it would cost County Clare alone an estimated EUR1.308 billion to achieve this target by 2018.
RESS Chairperson Johnny Flynn stated, “Despite our dire economic position, the Government must be praised for going some way to meeting its commitments to energy efficiency. Regrettably, however, this insulation programme is insufficient on its own to address the task of upgrading over one million poorly insulated homes across the country.”
He explained, “In order for the 100 million euro scheme to be fully taken up this year, it is estimated that householders will be required to invest a matching EUR200m to bring their homes up to the 2018 standard. This combined EUR300m investment, however, will only lead to 5-10% of Ireland’s poorly insulated homes being upgraded sufficiently. The reality, therefore, is that the Government will have to provide an estimated EUR200m annually for the next ten years so as to ensure Ireland achieves the required building efficiency ratings.”
Mr. Flynn, who is an engineer, environmentalist and Ennis Town Councillor, pointed out that the poorly regulated building boom of recent decades had Clare left householders and taxpayers to pick up the cost of retrofitting their homes. “The Government and Local Authorities across the country have inherited this problem and must intervene by devising and implementing more significant and long term corrective measures. If they fail to do so then Clare householders will continue to waste millions of Euro each year on heating poorly insulated homes. In the meantime, the Government must ensure that the newly announced insulation scheme is implemented effectively,” Mr. Flynn noted.
He commented, “Central to ensuring the success of the new programme will be the quality of the initial Building Energy Regulations (BER) assessment of individual homes and the subsequent signing off of the works. Consumer protection is paramount and I would hope that the BER assessors being employed under this scheme will be experienced and competent.”
“RESS hopes that during these assessments householders will consider renewable energy technologies as potential fossil fuel replacements in order to reduce their energy costs. This will further help the Government and Ireland to tackle climate change and achieve greater economic competitiveness and security of energy supply,” Mr. Flynn concluded.
Meanwhile, RESS has called on the Government and Sustainable Energy Ireland to consider expanding the Greener Homes Scheme to include local authority rented accommodation units. Dick Whelan, RESS Project Leader, said that long-term tenants should be entitled to individually apply for grants to improve energy efficiency and to incorporate renewable technologies in their homes. He added, “The upgrading of poorly heated and insulated social housing units will contribute greatly to Ireland achieving building efficiency ratings of 60 per cent by 2018. After all, the vast majority of these units were constructed before the introduction of environmentally sound construction methods and materials in the building of new homes in 1997.”
