What is a Retrofit?

A whole house energy retrofit involves carrying out a number of energy upgrade measures in one installation to achieve a warmer, more comfortable, energy efficient home with a BER rating of between B2 and A1. Electric Ireland Superhomes’ retrofit philosophy is based on the view that a home is an interrelated and interdependent energy system. Draughty doors will result in heat loss no matter how efficient your heating; and even in a well-insulated house, some rooms might be cold if the heating system is badly designed.

For this reason, an Electric Ireland Superhomes home energy upgrade looks at the overall effect of a combination of energy measures, which are designed in such a way that they work together successfully. The retrofit is done once and it is done right and starts with a rigorous assessment of your home’s current energy performance. Once this is established, we can begin the process of designing your Superhome based on the following interrelated factors:

Renewable Energy Heat Pump

An air source heat pump is a tried and trusted renewable technology that extracts energy from the air outside, even in temperatures of -20 degrees, which is converted to heat and distributed throughout your home and fills your hot water cylinder.

Heating System Design

Electric Ireland Superhomes has been installing heat pump technology since 2015 when we made the commitment to move away from fossil fuel heating. We know from this experience that expertly designing, configuring and optimising a heat pump is key to delivering energy savings and comfort throughout the house. In a Superhome you are guaranteed a heating system that is perfectly calibrated, responsive and easy-to-use. All you need to do is set the thermostat to your ideal temperature.

Insulation

We measure the u-Value of every element of your building fabric – walls, floor, attic, windows and doors – to ensure that the overall thermal performance meets our minimum standard. If this falls short, a number of insulation measures are available to us to factor into your design – wall insulation, roof insulation, floor insulation, window and door upgrades. We will help you choose the measures that gives the best value-for-money outcome

Airtightness

Insulation will seal the house from a thermal point of view but unwanted draughts can undo much of the hard work and expense of this insulation upgrade. A leaky house, particularly in the winter months, means cold spots and higher bills. An Electric Ireland Superhomes retrofit guarantees that specific airtightness targets (typically <5 airchanges per hour) are met. An independent airtightness test is carried out when the project is finished to confirm that this target has been reached.

Advanced Ventilation

A well ventilated home is a healthy home. The purpose of sealing a draughty house is not to stop the exchange of fresh air but rather to control it. A Superhome utilises an advanced ventilation system to achieve this. There are two distinct options – demand controlled ventilation and mechanical heat recovery – and the choice of which to install depends on the home and budget. Both systems provide fresh air and moisture control to kitchens and bathrooms, as well as neutralising many unwanted odours.

Other Measures

There may be additional options to bring your home to an even higher energy rating or level of comfort. These include Solar Photovoltaic (PV), battery storage, underfloor heating, extra fabric measures and a high efficiency stove. Solar PV converts sunlight into electricity, which feeds directly into your meter box and contributes to electricity powered appliances that are running at that time. Battery storage captures the electricity that is not used. Including PV in your home retrofit will usually achieve a BER of A3 or better. Some fabric measures (such as external wall insulation, floor insulation, triple-glazed windows) might not be mandatory to achieve BER of B2 but can be included if desired. Your Electric Ireland Superhomes Retrofit Engineer will provide you with clear impartial advice on all these options.