Planet-saving homes won't cost the earth
GOING green in the home will cost more, but it won't put you into the red, according to new research.
Upgrading existing properties to be 40pc more energy efficient will cost €4,241. However, adding in solar heating systems will bring the cost up to €9,955.
And the bungalow is the only type of property that will have to be dramatically re-designed to satisfy tough new energy saving standards.
Benefits
A major new study, lead by the UCD Energy Research Group, worked out cost-benefit analyses of both green and conventional methods of upgrading a home in order to increase the property's energy efficiency by as much as 40pc.
The study found that the cost of the upgrade when using conventional measures was €4,240, compared to €9,955 when adding integrated renewable energy technology to the same dwelling.
But, according to the researchers, homeowners should recoup the cost of the upgrades with lower energy bills.
The new study, commissioned by the Department of the Environment, found that a 40pc improvement in energy can be implemented in eight of nine typical dwellings studied without dramatically changing the building design, with the exception being bungalow-style homes.
From the end of next month, owners of older houses will have to install new energy-efficient gas and oil boilers when they replace older models.
And new homes will have to be 40pc more efficient from July next.
Some of the older boilers in our homes are up to 75pc less efficient than the new condensing models, which emit less CO2.
With the newer models, most of the gas or oil is converted into heat when the boiler is firing as opposed to going up the flue as in standard boilers.
Furthermore, certain makes of condensing boilers can be up to 92pc efficient.
Quote
However, various companies are quoting up to €3,500 to replace an existing boiler and relocate it from the kitchen to the utility room.
The relocation is costed at €400 or so, for a boiler that costs €1,600.
From July this year onwards, new building regulations from the Department of the Environment will mean that all new homes will have to be 40pc more energy efficient and have CO2 emissions reduced by 40pc also.
A mandatory minimum renewable energy requirement in all new homes, such as solar heating systems or biomass energy sources, such as wood pellet, will also be introduced.
- Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
