Category: News

How to know if your boiler needs replacing

Has the winter taken its toll on your boiler? Are you concerned about that strange noise or weird smell. It may be time to call the professionals. The team at Electric Ireland Superhomes tell us what to look out for and what to do.

Your boiler is a fundamental part of your home; however you’ve started to notice that it isn’t as efficient as it used to be and frequent boiler breakdowns have become a problem. We know boilers have a lifespan of 10–15 years, but how do you know if you need to replace yours? With the help from Electric Ireland Superhomes, we have listed the five signs and what you should do when it is time to replace your boiler with a new heating system.

⦁ Leaks or dripping pipes 
Your boiler should never leak. If there is a leak and your boiler is reaching its lifespan, you should consider replacing it with a new energy-efficient heating system.

⦁ Odd Smells 
If you smell a sulphurous, eggy odour something is wrong with your boiler and there’s probably a gas leak. What you first need to do is turn off your boiler and call the emergency gas line on 1800 20 5050.

⦁ Poor performance
You notice that your boiler isn’t behaving as it used to. If it takes a long time to heat up, or you’re continually adjusting the pressure, it’s time to get it checked and consider replacing it with a more sustainable and greener option.

⦁ Frequent breakdowns
A freezing house is not something anyone wants to experience. If you have experienced this after a boiler breakdown, which probably also caused a lot of stress and added cost to your energy bills, you might need to consider a new heating system.

⦁ Banging or gurgling noises 
Boilers are noisy and most of the time the sounds and noises are nothing to worry about. However, if you notice your boiler making a kettling, banging, gurgling or clunking sound, this can be a sign of a more serious problem.

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Electric Ireland Superhomes secures research project funding under the SEAI (RD&D) Funding Programme.

Electric Ireland Superhomes is delighted to announce that our collaborative research project, BRIGHT (Behavioural Research to Inform Green Home Transformations), has been awarded funding under the SEAI RD&D Funding Programme.

The awards were unveiled by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), as part of grants totalling €20 million in Government funding for Energy Research and Development Projects.

In partnership with UCD and the ESRI, BRIGHT will leverage methods of behavioural science to inform the consumer retrofit journey. The projects will focus on:

i. identifying behavioural barriers to retrofitting with a focus on heat pumps,

ii. developing behavioural interventions, tools, and strategies to overcome these barriers, and

iii. testing the effectiveness of these approaches.

The ultimate aim of BRIGHT is to increase the number of retrofit projects, with a focus on heat pump adoption, aligned with our commitment to delivering over 30,000 home retrofits by 2030, and the National Energy & Climate Plan.

Commenting on the announcement Stephen O’Connor, Managing Director, Electric Ireland Superhomes, said: 

“We’re delighted to conduct this research alongside our partners, Dr. Leo Lades (UCD) and Dr. Shane Timmons (ESRI). While retrofitting homes makes economic and environmental sense, barriers still remain to mass adoption. The BRIGHT research will help us to better understand these barriers and to develop practical solutions to overcome them. Electric Ireland Superhomes is targeting 30,000 Heat Pump led Retrofits by 2030 and BRIGHT will inform our customer and roll out strategies”

Speaking about the SEAI Funding Programme, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, said: 

“I am delighted to see such a vast range of energy research projects awarded funding to explore new and innovative ways to lead Ireland’s energy transition. These projects will help us to continue working towards meeting the targets set out in the Climate Action Plan and help build a better, cleaner future for everyone.”

Margie McCarthy, Director of Research and Policy Insights at the SEAI added: 

“Investing in research and innovation is crucial to allow Ireland to transition to a clean and secure energy future and is one of the most important ways to develop new insights and extend our knowledge to overcome associated challenges. In supporting these projects, SEAI is excited to be contributing to new opportunities for knowledge generation, technological breakthroughs, process and product innovations, behavioural changes, and guidance for public policy makers.”

 

Retrofitting Benefits for Your Home with Electric Ireland Superhomes 

We often hear from clients that they are confused about the potential benefits of a retrofitted home as well as what exactly is involved during the retrofit process. Which is very understandable as beginning the process can be quite complex! At Electric Ireland Superhomes, we aim to provide comprehensive information as a reliable and registered SEAI One Stop Shop for a heat pump-led home retrofits. 

Comfort 

When we guide customers through their energy retrofit journey, we often hear one resounding benefit: comfort. The constant temperature and cosiness of the house are common feedback we get from customers after they have experienced the benefit of a home energy retrofit. Never again will you walk into a cold home at the end of the workday or need to worry about boiling water for the hot water bottles before bed.  

Property Value 

In a recent study conducted by the SCSI (Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland), 69% of agents said they believed BER ratings are an important or very important influence on the level of offer made on a property.  John O’Sullivan, Chair of the SCSI Practice and Policy Committee said that while they started out initially as a mere footnote on property brochures, they were now front and center in buyers’ thoughts. 

Constant Ventilation 

Our approach at Electric Ireland Superhomes, with a focus on heat pump-led retrofitting, ensures customers not only benefit from improved energy efficiency but also enjoy constant ventilation in their homes. While manual ventilation by opening your windows remains an option, the automatic and continuous ventilation through advanced ventilation systems provided by a heat pump-led retrofit adds to the home’s comfort and efficiency. 

Electric Ireland Superhomes 

As a One Stop Shop, Electric Ireland Superhomes’ experienced team looks after all the key stages of a home energy retrofit, from retrofit design, through to contractor selection, project completion and management of SEAI grant funding. Their aim is to provide quality assurance, peace of mind, and, when the retrofit is complete, the best home possible.   

Not only are you reducing your carbon footprint with a home retrofit, other benefits to your home’s energy efficiency include a warmer, cosier, healthier home with a consistent temperature, instant hot water and increasing the property’s value.  

Future proofing your home is easier than ever with Electric Ireland Superhomes and the significant grant funding available through SEAI.
 

For more information on Electric Ireland Superhomes and retrofitting, visit www.electricirelandsuperhomes.ie 

Make Your Home Energy Efficient with Electric Ireland Superhomes

Get ready for winter with Hugh Wallace’s energy-saving solutions. Hear more of his insights at the PTSB Ideal Home Show.

As winter approaches, there’s nothing quite like the cosy feeling of being wrapped up in a warm blanket, sipping on a hot cup of tea, and enjoying the comfort of your home. However, with the dropping temperatures, our homes can become cold and uncomfortable, prompting us to wonder how we can enhance home comfort while also being environmentally conscious.

As a Brand Ambassador for Electric Ireland Superhomes, I will introduce you to the home energy solutions I’ve explored and learned about through their fantastic team of experts, while work continues on my own home renovation.

Why Does Retrofitting Matter?

Retrofitting 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. With Electric Ireland Superhomes, a home energy upgrade is done by looking at the overall effect of a combination of energy measures, which are designed in such a way that they work together successfully.

Each type of house requires a unique approach. In my case, I am renovating an old home with sustainability in mind, but there are tailored solutions for different types of houses based on your specific needs. I would say that the key to successful retrofitting is identifying areas of improvement to your home. Electric Ireland Superhomes, a heat pump-led home retrofit One Stop Shop, provides expert advice that can help you understand where your home could benefit from retrofitting.

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Our biggest bill was €11.50 on Christmas Eve. My entire bill is just a bit more than that this month’: Meet the home energy savers

Credit: Irish Times, Journalist Joanne Hunt

Summer is here, and with it hopefully some respite for those worried about energy costs. For others, the longer days mean monitoring solar panel apps, timing laundry and guessing their payout from selling electricity back to the grid.

Wexford homeowner Barry Glynn is a big fan of solar panels. Sixteen panels on his southeast-facing roof have grown to 20. “It’s an addiction. You just want more power. I didn’t actually need it, but you just want more.”

Retrofitting his home in Castletown, Co Wexford, wasn’t planned. When, post-honeymoon, he returned to a house flooded by a failed attic water tank, he decided to put the insurance money to good use. It paid to internally insulate the entire house bringing it up to a building energy rating (Ber) of C3. The solar panels from Clover Energy Systems added four years ago brought the house up to a B2.

“It was an investment in the future and in this current environment. By God, for once my decision was correct,” says Glynn.

Empowering Homeowners Towards a Sustainable Future: A Visit from Minister Eamon Ryan

We were delighted to have had the honour of hosting Minister Eamon Ryan on-site at one of Electric Ireland Superhomes retrofit projects in Galway. As a registered One Stop Shop under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), our mission is crystal clear: to empower our customers in achieving warmer, healthier, and low-carbon homes. This vision is at the heart of everything we do.

At Electric Ireland, we are committed to making a positive impact on the environment and the lives of homeowners. Our whole house solution is a testament to that commitment. Our approach is simple yet revolutionary: we embrace fossil fuel-free, renewable energy technologies with a primary focus on heat pumps. This way, we can significantly reduce carbon emissions while providing the utmost comfort for our valued customers.

Being a SEAI-registered One Stop Shop is not just a label; it represents a seal of trust and quality. It demonstrates our dedication to meeting the highest standards set forth by the authority. When homeowners choose Electric Ireland for their retrofit project, they can rest assured that they are in capable hands.

Retrofitting a home is more than just an upgrade; it is a journey towards a brighter, eco-friendly future. Our team of experts is passionate about making this journey an enjoyable one for homeowners. From the initial assessment to the final installation, we are with you every step of the way. Your satisfaction and comfort are our top priorities.

We want to extend our gratitude to Minister Eamon Ryan for honouring us with his presence. His dedication to promoting sustainable energy aligns perfectly with our values at Electric Ireland Superhomes.

If you are considering a home retrofit or simply want to learn more about how you can make your home more sustainable, get in touch with us today! Together, we can build a greener, healthier, and more sustainable Ireland for generations to come.

Retrofitting your home: ‘The heat is retained for up to three days’

Credit: Irish Times, Journalist Colette Sheridan

 

Whether basic or more elaborate, getting work done on your house such as insulation, solar panels, a heat pump and an energy-efficient zoned heating boiler is environmental and cosy

Daniel Wyse and his partner live in a four-bed bungalow in Crosshaven, Co Cork. The house was built by Wyse’s partner’s father in 1999. It was always a cold house but, now that the attic and cavity walls have been insulated, the building energy rating (BER) has gone from D2 to B3. A new boiler with energy-efficient zoned heating was also installed.

The basic retrofit cost €2,750. Wyse says a grant of €300 was given for the attic and another €300 for the insulation of the walls. This work was done last August by Envirobead, an insulation contractor in Cork. Now, grants covering 80 per cent of the cost of minor works such as those carried out in his house are available. The new boiler cost €2,500 after a grant of €700 was awarded.

Wyse was spending a lot of money on coal for the back boiler. The new boiler uses oil. Ultimately, Wyse and his partner, who plan to move at sometime in the future, want a self-sufficient house. “But that won’t happen until there’s better technology. I’d love to have solar panels fuelling a heat pump, keeping the house warm at all times. We’ll see in years to come how much electricity the panels can gather.”

Describing himself as very environmentally conscious, Wyse studied environmental engineering at the former Cork Institute of Technology. He works in a pharmaceutical company.

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How to stop expensive heat leaking out your walls, windows and roof

Credit: Irish Times, Journalist Joanne Hunt

 

“If you’ve got savings, the SEAI’s One Stop Shop service brings bigger grants than if you were to complete upgrades one by one over time. Take the example of a semi-detached house built in 1981 with a Ber rating of E2. Using the SEAI’s One Stop Shop service, works including roof insulation, external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, new double-glazed windows, high performing doors, a heat pump, new radiators, solar PV and mechanical ventilation will bring it up to a B2 energy rating. The approximate cost would be €50,000-€69,000 depending on the size of the house, according to SEAI estimates. The One Stop Shop grant will cover about €27,300. If the homeowner had gone the individual energy upgrade grant route, the total value of the grant would be much less at €15,600. Bringing a E2-rated home up to a B2 could cut annual energy usage by about a third.”

“For anyone looking for that generational change or transformational change, the One Stop Shop, whole-house approach is going to suit them best. It isn’t cheap. It’s an investment, but that payback will last decades,” says Flannery.

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A retrofit one stop shop for AHBs and local authorities

Credit: Eolas Magazine,

Electric Ireland Superhomes is an SEAI registered one stop shop looking after all the key stages of a home energy retrofit, from design, contractor selection, project completion and management of SEAI grant funding to bring houses and apartments to a minimum of a B2 BER standard.

Electric Ireland Superhomes is a joint venture between Tipperary Energy Agency and ESB (Electric Ireland) established in 2021, with a vision ‘to empower our customers to achieve warmer, healthier, low-carbon homes with a renewable energy focused approach’. We are currently on track to achieve our target of retrofitting 35,000 homes by 2030.

Electric Ireland Superhomes delivers retrofit solutions with the support of a multi-disciplined staff of over 40 people comprising of retrofit advisors, energy engineers, surveyors, and BER assessors. We now have a dedicated team that specifically focuses on the multiples sector including housing owned and managed by local authorities, approved housing bodies, and non-corporate landlords. This team is led by Mike O’Rourke, who has over 28 years’ experience in building services engineering, with the last six years in the housing retrofit sector.

Electric Ireland Superhomes is currently involved in the retrofit of homes up to a minimum B2 BER rating for Carlow County Council, helping to achieve their targets as part of the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. Stage one is near completion with 22 homes retrofitted, while stage two with 37 homes is scheduled to commence shortly.

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Electric Ireland and Tipperary Energy Agency announce landmark home retrofit joint venture

31 May – Electric Ireland and Tipperary Energy Agency have today announced a new joint venture, ‘Electric Ireland Superhomes’, with the ambition of delivering 35,000 deep home energy upgrades by 2030. The partnership will directly create 200 jobs over the next five years as well as supporting the development of hundreds more jobs indirectly through building contractors and other partners.

“Superhomes” is the existing residential division of energy adviser and social enterprise Tipperary Energy Agency. Superhomes advises homeowners throughout all stages of their energy retrofit project offering a so called “One Stop Shop” service. The service covers energy survey and retrofit design, the selection, appointment and supervision of a qualified building contractor and management of the SEAI grant application and related paperwork. SuperHomes has advised on 30% of the deep retrofits delivered to date in Ireland.

Electric Ireland, as Ireland’s largest energy supplier with 1.1m customers, has extensive experience in the development and delivery of new products and services and is committed to guiding Irish energy users through the transition to a low carbon future powered by electricity. Increased energy efficiency from retrofitted homes plus the electrification of residential heating replacing fossil fuel oil & gas central heating is critical to this transition.

Electric Ireland Superhomes focus is whole-house, multi-measure deep retrofits, rather than individual energy upgrades, to bring homes to a minimum of a “B2” BER energy rating. Electric Ireland Superhomes retrofit measures maximise energy efficiency and include the introduction of an air to water heat pump, advanced ventilation (heat recovery or demand-controlled), airtightness improvement (reducing draughts and heat loss) and insulation to a very high standard. Results include significant savings in energy bills, a warmer, more comfortable and healthier home, a reduction in carbon emissions and an increased value of the property.

Welcoming today’s announcement, Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, said: “The Government’s Climate Action Plan envisages 500,000 deep retrofits by 2030 and that requires a rapid scaling up in deep retrofit activity. Innovations in consumer finance, demand aggregation and the launch of “One Stop Shop” energy advisers who will work with consumers through their projects are needed and so I welcome today’s announcement by Tipperary Energy Agency and Electric Ireland to form Electric Ireland Superhomes. Retrofitting Ireland’s housing stock is not only key to reaching climate neutrality, but it can also improve quality of life for homeowners and create high-quality, sustainable jobs in local communities throughout the country.”

Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Electric Ireland, said: “Electric Ireland is delighted to announce this partnership with Tipperary Energy Agency to help accelerate the deep retrofitting of Ireland’s housing stock and to play our part in improving the comfort, warmth and energy efficiency of Irish homes. This joint venture is a logical extension of our Brighter Energy Programme, through which we have already deployed a network of eV car chargers, smart energy services for homes and businesses and green electricity products. It is a key part of our commitment to guide and support homes, businesses and communities to collectively contribute towards a low carbon future and to help Ireland achieve its 2030 climate action targets.”

Seamus Hoyne, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Tipperary Energy Agency “Tipperary Energy Agency launched the Superhomes Retrofit programme in 2015 and since then has successfully retrofitted hundreds of Irish homes. Having built a high quality one-stop-shop retrofit service we are now partnering with Electric Ireland to dramatically scale up the delivery of this service across Ireland. Our mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable energy solutions in Tipperary and beyond, by advocating, educating and innovating on climate action. The Electric Ireland Superhomes partnership will deliver on this mission within the residential sector and we will continue to lead change in other sectors as we chart a path to our zero carbon future”.

Stephen O’Connor, Managing Director Electric Ireland Superhomes said “To meet Ireland’s ambitious climate aims we need to radically improve the energy performance of our built environment. Domestic heating accounts for 6 MT (million tonnes) of CO2 every year or about 10% of Ireland’s total emissions while 80% of our housing stock has a BER energy rating of “C” or worse. Living in a warm, healthy, energy efficient home is the aspiration of everyone but a retrofit project can be daunting and complex. Electric Ireland Superhomes will be a trusted adviser to homeowners nationwide embarking on this journey”.

To learn more about an Electric Ireland Superhomes retrofit, visit www.electricirelandsuperhomes.ie.

Research: Almost 3 in 5 homeowners are planning energy upgrades or significant renovations in the next 12 months, according to research commissioned by Electric Ireland. Over 600 homeowners were surveyed by Behaviour & Attitudes in April 2021 as part of the research.

ENDS

About Electric Ireland

Electric Ireland was launched in 2011 as the retail arm of ESB Group supplying electricity, gas and energy services to the business and residential markets in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Electric Ireland is recognised as Ireland’s leading energy provider, with a mission to create a brighter future for the customers and communities it serves. The electrification of the residential heating sector is a key component of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. Using clean, low-carbon electricity to heat our homes is critical to this transition, which Electric Ireland fully supports.

About Tipperary Energy Agency

Tipperary Energy Agency is an independent social enterprise that focusses on driving the energy transition through the provision of expertise, innovation and strong customer service. Their mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable energy solutions in Tipperary and beyond, by advocating, educating and innovating on climate action. Their vision is that all communities, businesses and citizens participate in the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality.

About Superhomes

In 2015 Tipperary Energy Agency launched Superhomes; a one-stop-shop and pioneering approach to home energy retrofits. Superhomes design a homeowner’s retrofit and look after all the key stages from tender through to the payment of grant funding.