SEAI warmer homes scheme

A neighbour got a lot of work done under it, full house wrap and new boiler, water tank, controls and other work, vents, attic insulation new oil tank and base and probably other stuff.

What kinda money he Outlaid and what Grant did he receive. ?

am afraid to look for quotes …. As funds are limited

We were looking to go with the all in one scheme last year, but because of delays by the Dept sanctioning operators at the time we did some individual grants, Heat pump and rads mainly plus insulation. The all in one is the way to go. The only problem is finance up front, but as above poster shows there are loans becoming available at good rates. Really good grants in fairness. Well worth doing.

Having been approved 2 years ago, first inspection completed, Surveyor arrives this Monday. Spoke on the phone & the impression I'm getting is their focus is entirely on insulation.

I've an old oil Boiler but it seems only in exceptional circumstances will a heating system be upgraded.

I'll post about the Surveyors visit on Monday.

Morning, and Thank you.

My cottage is unusual in that the existing structure is over 200 years old but has has a large extension added plus an unusual extension, clad in Treated timber.

The modern parts are well insulated but older stone cottage, not at all. The Boiler was 2nd hand & certainly 30 years old, also unusual as it's an internal boiler, with flue going out existing Chimney. Some Radiators are also quite old. My impression, and I may be wrong, is they are reluctant to replace Oil Boilers, instead opting for air to heat pumps, but that would in reality require a full retrofit & I can't see that happening due to costs 🤔

I've a small number of older PVC windows, they'll only be replaced at the same time as external insulation I believe.

It's certainly a challenging house & it will be interesting to see what the Surveyor makes of it.

I'll post an update.

AFAIK unless the whole house is getting wrapped they won't upgrade the boiler, that's what my neighbour was told when they had their's done. They got the new condensing boiler and hot water cylinder. The extractor fans they fitted were the cheapest Manrose XF150BS you can get. The external cover makes a huge racket in the wind and has no insect guard so watch what they are fitting.

After the attic insulation was fitted they noticed the felt in the attic was getting condensation on it and dripping on the new floor that was fitted by the contractor so make sure they have ventilation for the attic. They put facia air vents on after it was brought up with them. Keep a record of all you are concerned about because you only get one chance at getting it done. My neighbour used Whatsapp to keep a record of all correspondence so they had proof of all issues.

I'm not sure if the rules changed but my neighbour got a full house wrap a new condensing boiler, new bonded 650L oil tank and €265.00 of oil included under the warmer homes scheme, the work started last October and the snag list is still being sorted. I think because they are only doing a partial wrap is why the boiler won't be upgraded in your case.

It's still listed on the SEAI website.

"For new heating systems, a contractor will discuss where the new boiler will be located, whether it should be inside or outside, the radiator positions and the oil tank/gas meter position. If the boiler can be located inside, the contractor will need to extend the flue out through the wall. They will need to lift some floorboards to connect the new boiler, radiators and pipework together."

https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/fully-funded-upgrades-for-eligible-homes/

The surveyor should have left you with a SEAI 'brochure' telling you exactly what recommendations are being made? Any mention in that of heating?

Heating is being done on it, I know of a property that got a full new heating system including new gas boiler installed as part of the complete package under this scheme within the last month.

My advice is query directly with SEAI if you've any issues as now is the time to get it sorted, before the contractor is appointed, as they'll only do what's been listed and approved.

People got a subsidy for installing a new fossil fuel burning boiler that will burn stuff for the next few decades? Dear God help us.

People got them Free under the warmer home scheme. Efficient condensing Boilers, replacing old, inefficient fuel guzzling Oil & Gas boilers.

Air to Heat systems are not suitable for every home, requiring Insulation & heating systems upgrades. A complete retrofit would required at enormous expense. There's also the cost of running an electric system.

That's all terribly exciting but the fact remains there is an enormous amount of older homes requiring heating systems upgrades & Retrofitting would be prohibitively expensive. Whilst not ideal, replacing an ageing Boiler with an efficient one makes sense. In an ideal world, we'd all love to retrofit but it is just not practical. To retrofit my own 200 year old home would cost in excess of €140k & that ain't happening.

Homes can't just be replaced over time. It is estimated 500k homes in Ireland require some form of retrofitting or insulation improvements in Ireland . Whilst you may disagree with Taxpayers funding schemes, such as the warmer home scheme, what is the Alternative 🤔 these schemes have very strict eligibility criteria & aimed at those who couldn't possibly afford to upgrade their homes.

Seperately, Local Authorities have a separate scheme where they fully fund, complete retrofitting of their housing stock at no cost to their tenants, They don't just pick & choose what's done, they completely retrofit, including installation of Air to Heat systems.

Ultimately the goals are similar, to reduce use of Energy, wether it be Fossil fuel or Electric & the cost of heating homes, which is surely a good thing in the long run. I can't speak for others but I paid taxes for decades, now retired early due to illness.

Nobody is saying the state shouldn't spend general resources on policing, health care, education, etc. LOL, they are not subsidies. What I was referring to was clearly direct subsidies to individuals when they pay a select few private companies to do work for them. This distorts the market and generally just lands the subsidy as an additional profit into those companies' pockets.

I am getting windows done and boiler done separately. Whats best time to get a BER reassessment done? Assume once both are finished.

There appears to be many contradictions, and I'm happy to get what's being offered albeit it seems silly to only half insulate a house & not consider a heating system upgrade.

My understanding is the contractor appointed has no discretion. I'll make a few more enquiries but I believe it's down to them being told, no Boiler upgrades, Oil or Gas

Oddly enough, the stone walls are exposed on the inside, I made a feature out of them. I'd have thought, Breathtaking wouldn't be a issue, but I was wrong

My understanding is they'll only replace windows if doing external insulation, both done at the same time. Doors maybe replaced.

I'd not take any heed of the BER recommendations, I say this based on my experience, essentially it was ignored by the Surveyor & every effort is made to penny pinch. In my case a heating system upgrade advised but they are not doing Oil /Gas boiler upgrades.

As it happens, the contractor appointed for my upgrades arrives tomorrow to check everything in advance of works commencing soon.

They don't do doors at all and windows only get done if you're suitable for insulation and the existing are only single glazed.

@Dempo1, what are you doing with that timber panel ceiling?

It may well be well insulated. Evenso, the reason I asked is because I find these types of ceiling finishes (t&g timber panelling) are very rarely airtight resulting in significant heat loss through air leakage.