Electric.ie July/August Edition

46 ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • Industry News T he Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten is encouraging homeowners to apply for grants for the installation of heat pumps. Grants of up to €3,500 are available and applications are now open. “Ireland ranks among the highest in the EU for carbon emissions from homes. Switching to renewable heating options like heat pumps will be crucial for driving this down and to meet our emissions targets. Heat pumps can completely change the comfort levels in a home, as well as reducing heating bills and removing the need for oil, gas or solid fuel,” stated Minister Naughten. The new grant is available to Š‘‡• „—‹Ž– „‡ˆ‘”‡ ͲͰͱͱǤ A survey of the home will be carried out before a grant ‘ơ‡”…ƒ „‡ ƒ†‡Ǥ Š‹• •—”˜‡› is to ensure that the energy performance of the home’s fabric – i.e. the walls, roof, windows, †‘‘”• ƒ† ƪ‘‘” Ǧ ‹• •—ƥ…‹‡– –‘ allow the heat pump system to ’‡”ˆ‘” ‡ơ‡…–‹˜‡Ž› ƒ† ‡ƥ…‹‡–Ž›Ǥ Grants available under Better Energy Homes Scheme are included in the chart to the right. A heat pump system harnesses energy from free renewable sources outside the building, for heating and hot water. Electrical heat pumps use a compressor to draw heat from a low temperature source, such as external air or ground to heat Grants for Heat Pumps are now available Measure Measure type Grant amount Insulation Attic €300 Cavity Wall €300 Internal (Dry Lining) Detached €2,400 Semi-detached/end of terrace €1,800 Mid terrace/apartment €1,200 External (Wrapping) Detached €6,000 Semi-detached/end of terrace €4,500 Mid terrace/apartment €2,750 Heating System Heating controls €700 Solar thermal €1,200 Heat pump Air to air €600 Air to water, ground source, water source, exhaust air €3,500 Building Energy Rating (BER) €50 Bonus for multiple measures For 3rd measure €300 For 4th measure €100 the building interior. While conventional heating systems such as storage heaters and boilers cannot produce more heat than that contained in their fuel source, a heat pump typically will produce three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed. Most heat pump systems have integrated heating controls, helping you to accurately match your space heating and hot water schedules to the working and living patterns in your home, so when heat and hot water are required, it is there and when it ‹• ‘– ”‡“—‹”‡†ǡ ‹– ‹• –—”‡† ‘ơǤ Using the heating controls in your heat pump system will typically reduce your energy usage by up to 20%. For the full list of Terms & Conditions please refer to the Better Energy Homes Programme Application Guide, available at: ™™™Ǥ•‡ƒ‹Ǥ‹‡Ȁ‰”ƒ–•ȀŠ‘‡Ǧ ‰”ƒ–•Ȁ„‡––‡”Ǧ‡‡”‰›Š‘‡•Ȁ how-to-apply Further details are available from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on 1850 927000 or email info@ betterenergyhomes.ie . You can also visit: Š––’•ǣȀȀ™™™Ǥ•‡ƒ‹Ǥ‹‡Ȁ ‰”ƒ–•ȀŠ‘‡Ǧ‰”ƒ–•Ȁ„‡––‡”Ǧ ‡‡”‰›ǦŠ‘‡•Ȁ