Few ideas are as exciting as the prospect of home improvement. But few are so daunting too. The cost, the disruption, the fear of not finding the right builder, can all quickly dampen enthusiasm.
It’s why the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) One Stop Shop service has been such a boon for those looking to improve the energy efficiency and comfort levels of their home.
The service provides you with a list of preapproved contractors who will take charge of your retrofitting plans and project manage the entire job from start to finish.
Bar having your own, in-house builder, it’s as hassle-free a service as you could wish for, so (hard) hats off to the SEAI for introducing it.
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All registered contractors listed on the One Stop Shop website (seai.ie) will provide you with a complete home energy upgrade solution. To apply for any of the SEAI’s One Stop Shop Grants, you must use one of these providers.
Many of these registered contractors will also carry out some level of building works in addition to SEAI grant supported upgrades.
That means that, in addition to energy-focused steps such as insulation or the installation of a heat pump, they can also do anything from rewiring or replumbing, to a new kitchen or bathroom fit-out, an internal room modification and even a full-blown extension.
But what’s also great about the One Stop Shops is that they will look after every aspect of the energy upgrade, from conducting the initial home energy assessment to organising grant applications, project managing the contract works and providing the follow-up building energy rating (Ber).
They’ll go through your finance options with you and, if you feel more comfortable doing the work on a stage-by-stage basis, will help you prioritise which jobs to do first, to ensure you get most bang for your buck.
While it’s reassuring to know that each registered One Stop Shop contractor has gone through a quality control process that ensures they meet required standards, it does mean smaller contractors, or your local handyman-builder may not be eligible to do the work for you.
Improvements to the scheme mean you no longer have to get the remedial work done and then apply for the grant retrospectively. With One Stop Shops you pay the discounted price and the building contractor picks up the grant afterwards.
That’s a great relief and not least because the SEAI won’t release the grant to the builder until the work has passed its inspection, another level of reassurance.
Because a full retrofit is likely the second-biggest spend any of us go through, outside of actually buying a home, take your time to find the right provider and always get at least three quotes. If you can, talk to previous clients for further recommendations.
However, it is best suited to homeowners who want to get as much done as possible in one go, in a bundled energy upgrade that combines insulation, upgrading to a heat pump and installing suitable ventilation systems.
By treating the house as a single system, you will maximise your grant accessibility and achieve a higher Ber, adding significantly to the value of your home in the end.
Typically a variety of reasons prompt us into giving our home a full energy upgrade.
“Often it’s a change in circumstance, such as where the family has moved out and people want to do the house up, or someone has bought a new house and wants to renovate,” says Brian McIntyre, SEAI’s programme manager, high performance building technologies.
“Sometimes people have decided that where they are right now will in fact be their forever home. Because the housing market is so crazy they reckon they are not going to get the house they want for the price they can afford, so they decide to extend and renovate instead. In such situations they will often feel, why not do all the work at one time?”
While people can organise individual steps such as, say, attic insulation, themselves, when it comes to more complex, bundled energy upgrades, having the One Stop Shop to project manage everything makes more sense, ensuring correct sequencing so that the right steps are taken at the right time, for minimal disruption.
“That can be a minefield for a lot of people trying to manage for themselves when, potentially, dealing with five, six or even seven different people doing seven different job in the house. It can be overwhelming. One Stop Shops take that hassle out of it,” says McIntyre.
Just make sure to familiarise yourself with the scheme fully before getting started.
“For the homeowner it’s really important to apply for the grants before they do any work,” says Shane Toye, consultant sales engineer at Mitsubishi Electric Ireland (stand N80 at the PTSB Ideal Home Show), a specialist in heat pumps and heat recovery ventilation systems, which form an integral part of many bundled energy upgrades.
“It’s a key point to remember because if the homeowner does the work first and the paperwork afterwards, they’re not going to get anywhere.”
All the more reason to make the One Stop Shop your first stop.
For more information on the show and to register for free tickets, visit idealhome.ie.
