Home energy upgrades and retrofitting

Sir, – Recent analysis of the first 300 homes completed through Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s One Stop Shop scheme shows that the average cost of works is around €56,000, reducing to €30,000 after Government grant. This is for a mix of home types, with an average starting building energy rating (BER) of E1 and an upgraded BER of A3. While commentators (Letters, August 10th) can identify higher cost examples, our data illustrates that these are outliers, balanced out by other low-cost outliers not so often talked about.

The cost of works is a combination of many factors, the size and age of the house, the current energy performance, the desired performance after works, and any ancillary renovation works happening at the same time. Our simple advice for such a major investment is shop around, and get the best price available. As with any service, quotes will vary from supplier to supplier in an increasingly competitive market. While such upgrades may not be within everyone’s budget, they are a lot more affordable than the prevailing narrative suggests. And there are many options for people who want to do upgrades progressively to suit their budget.

Finally, home energy upgrades are not just about costs. In addition to the savings on energy bills there is increased comfort, property value, reliability and an all-round better home that is valued, above all else, by those living there. Plus of course there is the reduced harmful greenhouse gas emissions, the appalling damage from which has been all too evident across the globe this summer.

Home energy upgrades are a long-term decision. They are also with us for the long term, representing an important part of addressing Ireland’s home energy challenges. – Yours, etc,