Retrofit your Home

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Retrofitting improves a property’s energy efficiency through the addition of new technology or features. At first glance, you may pull away from the financial expenses of retrofitting – a deep retrofit can vary from €35,000 - €100,000. However, these largely invisible improvements can help to save you money on your long-term energy bills and change your experience in your home.


Retrofitting can vary from single-room improvements to entire house retrofits. Deep retrofitting is the carrying-out serious energy upgrades all at once. Each process focuses on increasing energy efficiency in your home, which is how retrofitting differs from renovating a house or making aesthetically pleasing home improvements.


If you are new to the concept, retrofitting involves an improvement in the thermal performance and overall comfort of your home. It is multidimensional and can include the insulation of roofs, walls, and floors, the replacement of windows, improved ventilation, airtightness, and efficient heating and hot water systems.


There is a growing push for homeowners to retrofit their homes, but what are the motivating factors for them to invest in this for improvements they cannot even see? For many, the importance of being comfortable in their own home is increasing, especially having spent more time at home in the past year. 


If the cost to keep your home at a warm and liveable temperature is high and you feel as though you are throwing away money, a retrofit should be considered to reduce heat loss and increase comfort at home.


Retrofitting can be expensive and not everyone will be able to take on the financial and practical demands of a full retrofit all at once. A staged approach of affordable improvements may suit you better.


To help Irish homeowners with finances, there are grant aids available. There is a grant amount up to 35% available for Private and Local Authority Homes and up to 50% available for Housing Association homes. 


The grant supports homes built and occupied before 2006 and is not open to individual homeowners. It's based on co-operation by groups of owners and economies of scale. The scheme is designed to encourage the development of one-stop-shops and engage groups of private households, registered housing associations, and local authorities who wish to participate in delivering energy-efficiency upgrades.


If your application for the grant is successful, an assessment of your home, and a plan of measures to be taken in order to achieve at least a B2 energy rating, is submitted to SEAI for review and approval. So far, over 520 homes have been successfully upgraded in Ireland, all with some measure of A-rating.


There are few homes that wouldn’t benefit in some way from this, and if you have an older property, you should definitely make yourself more aware of retrofitting. 


A property owner wanting to upgrade should start with building energy rating, or BER assessment, first. The report will include recommendations for improvements to achieve B2 or better. For many, achieving a good BER rating will mean combining the SEAI grant aid with savings, and home improvements loans.


The cost of your retrofit will depend on the size of your house, its energy efficiency, and how old it is. In April 2021, the average cost to upgrade a home from an average BER rating of F to an average A3 was €60,229. You may not have as far to go from a rating of F, which means this figure would reduce significantly. You must also remember that what you pay as part of a retrofit you will hope to get back in long-term energy savings.


Along with increased energy efficiency and higher levels of comfort in your home, retrofitting will also help with poor indoor air quality, improving your health and quality of life. You will get greater building durability and if you ever decide to sell your home, it will have a higher resale value.


Retrofitting is a great long-term option and should definitely be considered.

For more information on retrofitting, click here.




Added by Housebuild

Over 2 years ago

Filed in Renovation/Extension, New Build, Your Build Project