Homeowners Encouraged To Avail Of Energy Saving Grant

Fianna Fáil has encouraged homeowners to avail of the energy saving grant to help improve energy efficiency in their homes.

Making the call, TD for Wexford, James Browne, made the call following the publication of figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which show that a large number of homes in Wexford have a poor energy rating, with just a small fraction achieving the highest 'A-B' rating.

"The CSO recently published new figures which show that a large number of homeowners in Wexford are missing out on valuable savings because their houses are poorly insulated and lack modern heating systems," Deputy Browne said.

"26% of all homes in Wexford have a Building Energy Rating of either 'F-G' or 'E' which is the poorest rating when it comes to determining energy efficiency. In contrast just 8% of homes achieve the highest rating of 'A-B'.

"These figures show that a huge number of homeowners in Wexford are missing out on huge savings when it comes to energy efficiency. A home with a poor energy rating does not retain heat for as long as a home with a higher rating, and this results in higher heating costs.

"Homeowners with poor energy efficiency ratings should be aware that they can avail of the Better Energy Homes Scheme operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. This scheme provides grants for works such as roof and wall insulation, heating controls upgrade, installation of high efficiency boilers and solar heating. The application process for the scheme is straight forward and a detailed guide can be found on the SEAI website.

"I'd encourage anyone who is concerned about high heating costs to consider this scheme. People who have high energy efficiency ratings in their homes save a substantial sum of money on heating costs. The initial investment in insulating a home and upgrading heating systems is often recouped in a short period of time", said Deputy Browne.

(MH)