FROM SWITCHING off appliances fully to installing solar panels, there are plenty of steps you can take to increase the energy-efficiency of your home - and reduce bills, writes Sylvia Thompson.
As national debates on climate change and the impact of high oil prices become more frequent, there is a growing consciousness among homeowners that there are financial savings to be made from them making their homes more energy efficient.
"Most people will do the right thing if they are given the information they need and the opportunities to carry it through," says Johnny Flynn, chairman of the Renewable Energy Skills Network, a Co Clare-based organisation that trains installers of renewable energy systems in homes across the country.
But hold on a minute. Before we start looking at the costs and paybacks of installing solar panels, wood pellet stoves and geothermal pumps (renewable energy installers will tell you that the return on your money in the form of reduced energy bills is far greater than that from bank deposit accounts), let's have a look at simpler measures that can be taken first to reduce domestic fuel bills.
We'll start with the first thing homeowners can do, which is check that all appliances are turned off at night. According to one of the excellent leaflets from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), appliances left on standby use up to 20 per cent of the energy they use when fully on. And total standby consumption in Irish homes represents approximately 5 per cent of all residential electricity consumption. So look at all those little red lights on your appliances before you turn in for the night and flick them off.
Buying energy-efficient washing machines, dryers, fridges, freezers, dishwashers and electric ovens is another easy way to reduce energy bills in the home. By law, special energy labels must be visible on all shop display models of these appliances so check them out and choose A-rated models.
Replacing incandescent light bulbs with the newer long-life, low energy CFL ones is part of the same equation. Another, perhaps less obvious option, is to consider installing separate day- and night-rate electricity meters in your home and only use your washers, dryers and dishwashers once the night rate has kicked in.
Broadcaster and architect Duncan Stewart says that, once all these actions are taken, the next step to bring down the energy consumption in homes is to insulate roofs, walls, floors and windows adequately.
"Insulating your attic is the most cost-effective measure you can take. If you put 400mm of insulation into your roof space, you'll get a better return on your investment than was available from the Government-funded SSIA accounts," he says.
There is a whole new range of insulation materials on sale now and promoting good insulation and draught-proofing systems (for example, replacing all single-glazed windows with double-glazed ones) in homes throughout Ireland is one of the top priorities of the energy specialists this decade.
"The Green ministers are talking about retro-fitting exterior insulation to 1.6 million houses across Ireland. I'm not sure how that will be done, but good insulation and draught-proofing of homes will reduce energy costs by more than a quarter," says Stewart.
The next area where cutbacks in energy use can be made is in the water-heating (baths, showers, and so on) and space-heating (usually radiators) systems.
Simple measures that can be taken immediately include turning off radiators in rooms that are not in use and putting a tightly fitting lagging jacket on your immersion heater. Installing individual thermostats on each radiator also means that they will automatically switch off once the ideal room temperature has been reached.
MORE COMPLEX MEASURES that will reduce fuel bills in the long term involve adding a renewable energy source to reduce your home's dependence on fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas principally) for hot water and space heating systems.
This is where things get a bit more technical and your average DIY enthusiast needs to draw on a range of external experts to guide them through the maze of renewable energy technologies. While Ireland has come late to the installation of renewable energy technologies, the last few years have seen an increase in available expertise.
"The downturn in the construction industry will see more and more tradesmen diverting to energy conservation and installation of renewable energy technologies," says Johnny Flynn.
Renewable-energy consultant Quentin Gargan suggests that before individuals embark on improving the energy efficiency of their homes with renewable energy technologies, they should have their house energy rated. "There are a number of people trained on Building Energy Rating (BER) courses in institutes of technology in Cork, Tipperary and Dundalk, and these people can carry out energy assessments on your home and tell you where the weak spots are," says Gargan.
Paula Rice from SEI advises people to have a full BER assessment carried out at the same time as an energy assessment to save on costs. "We hold the national register for BER assessors and every house in the country will have to have a BER assessment if it is to be sold or rented from January of next year," she says. The assessors submit their rating to SEI, which then issues a number for each house. All BER numbers are then available on a national register for future reference.
Only when you have an energy assessment carried out on your home will you really be able to tell whether your roof is suitable for solar panels or whether you have enough space to accommodate the wood pellets needed to fuel wood pellet or chip stoves.
THE CONSUMER APPETITE for renewable energy is growing. "We've had five renewable energy shows to date with over 3,000 visitors in total," says Flynn. The 20,000 grant applications received by SEI that seek grants under the Greener Homes Schemes are also testament to the level of interest.
Currently, homeowners can get a grant of €3,000 towards the installation of biomass (wood chip or wood pellet) boilers and stoves, a grant of €2,000-€3,500 towards the installation of a geothermal pump, and grants of €250-€300 per square metre of solar panels installed on your roof. Majella Kelleher of SEI says that the greatest uptake of grants for all three renewable energy systems has been in Co Cork. Counties Galway, Dublin, Kerry and Wexford have all shown high uptake levels of solar panels, while heat pumps have been sought after most in Cork, Galway, Kerry and Donegal. Biomass boilers are most popular in Cork, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Mayo, Meath and Wexford.
As with most users of renewable-energy systems, Johnny Flynn first started to build up his knowledge in renewable energies when he had solar panels installed in his own home. "We now have 10sq m solar panels on our roof, which saves us about €500 per year for water-heating. We also have a wood pellet stove which heats our main living space at a fraction of the cost of radiators heated by oil."
THE OTHER RENEWABLE energy option that is growing in popularity is ground-source heat pumps. "This system draws heat from the earth and a heat pump converts that energy to electricity, which is used to heat water, which is then distributed to underfloor heating systems or low water content radiators," explains Flynn.
And while national debates on wind energy continue, Gargan is less convinced of the value of wind turbines for domestic use. "We learnt from our mistakes," he says, referring to problems encountered with the wind turbine installed near his home in west Cork.
"For the vast majority of people, wind turbines are out of the question. It's hard to recommend them unless you've got a particularly good site."
Ultimately, what the pioneers of renewable energy in Ireland have learned from experience is that you must build interdependent systems that can work together or separately depending on the seasonal requirements for heat and hot water. "The energy you use will be a mix from different sources so you don't have to be totally reliant on any one system," explains Flynn.
"What consumers need to know is how each system works, what it will cost them and who they can get to install it." While this might sound quite complicated to the average Irish homeowner, in the next 10 years we will no doubt become more like our European neighbours, who can casually discuss the advantages and disadvantages of external insulation systems, under-floor heating and solar panels with the ease that we are only beginning to show about recycling.