SERVE Region energy upgrade grants

If you live in North Tipperary there’s never been a better time to improve the energy performance of your home. In addition to grants available under SEI’s Home Energy Saving Scheme (HES) you may also qualify for additional funding from the SERVE programme. SERVE is an EU funded programme with a number of partners including the Tipperary Energy Agency and North Tipperary County Council.

The aim is to encourage householders to improve the energy performance of their home in one step rather than bit by bit so funding is only available for a package of measures that will make a significant change. There are three compulsory measures as follows:-

Roof Insulation
Wall Insulation
Heating Controls Upgrade

And for the above there’s a €1,000 contribution from SERVE. You must also implement at least two of the following options:-

Window Replacement €2,000
External Wall Insulation €4,000
Novel low carbon insulation €250
Flat roof / room in roof insulation €750
Advanced heating controls €500
High efficiency (> 94%) boiler upgrade €300
High Efficiency cylinder (Part L 2008) €100
Lighting LED’s (replace halogen down lighters with 3w – 5w LED’s) 30% of cost / max €150
Lighting controls (time, presence, PIR’s) 30% of cost / max €150

Once you have achieved a minimum energy rating of C1, you are also eligible to apply for renewable energy grants as follows:-

Solar hot water:

Flat plate collectors €100 / m²
Vacuum tube collectors €150 m²

High Efficiency Wood Stove €650
Wood Central Heating Systems €3,500 * SERVE funding only

The above funding is in addition to what’s available under the Home Insulation Scheme (HES) and Greener Homes Scheme (GHS). Click here to see examples of typical project funding.

Electricity use in Derrycallaghan

System:

11Kw Heat Pump for Space Heating only
5 M sq solar collector / 300L hot water cylinder
3 Kw Back up immersion heater

A rainy Saturday is always a good time to analyse electricity bills. We use a heat pump with under floor heating and other than bottled gas for cooking, electricity is the only fuel used. There are four in the family and the heated area is approx. 240m sq. Since moving in (August 2007) we’ve used a total of 22,308 KwHrs, 10,025 Day and 12,283 Night costing €3,000 (and seventy three cent!). Dividing by 668 days, that’s €4.49 per day or a yearly average of €1,638.85 or €6.83 / m sq. Please send your costs / m sq if it continues raining!

Click here to see data

Hi, I’m Matthew and I can help you save money in your home

 

FPi Solar provides a range of energy related services including solar hot water, insulation, heating controls upgrades and building energy rating.  Based in Moneygall (the ancestral home of one Barak Obama!) I established the business shortly after building a low energy home and I’m particularly interested in working with people to improve the energy performance of theirs. 

My background is in electronics and electromechanical engineering and in addition to having the relevant SEI accreditations etc. I’m interested in keeping up to date with developments in home energy.  Recent learning activities included a seven day course in Ireland and Germany on Energy Efficient Retrofitting of Buildings and I’m currently doing a short course in the Tipperary Institute on the use of RETScreen, a renewable energy financial modelling tool.  I’ve also completed courses in wind turbine installation (Proven Energy), Building Energy Rating (FETAC) & Solar Thermal Installation (FETAC)

FPi Solar is a greenwash free zone and we only recommend solutions we would be happy to use ourselves.  Saving energy in the home is as much about behaviour as technology so I tend to be sceptical of some claims made by people selling things.  It’s far cheaper to save a kilo watt hour of energy than to generate one so it makes sense to prioritise conservation measures over renewables.  To find out how we can help you save money see www.fpisolar.ie or tel. 087 916 5000