HES Home Energy Savings Scheme in Ireland
The HES Scheme has been officially launched which sees grants provided to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements.
In Summary
Assistance will be provided by the payment of fixed grants towards the costs of implementing remedial measures. The types of measures eligible under this scheme are roof insulation, wall insulation and heating controls. There is also a grant for households who choose to get a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment Before and After the works are completed.
The Home Energy Saving Scheme or HES for short
The HES (Home Energy Saving Scheme) will encourage and incentivise homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes in order to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The Government have invested €100 million in this scheme.
Householders will avail of a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessor to come to their house, give the home a BER rating and advise on the works that need to be carried out to improve energy efficiency. The homeowner will pre-pay €100 towards the cost of this assessment, with Sustainable Energy Ireland subsidising the balance. Approximately two thirds of the cost of the assessment, will therefore, will be covered by the Government.
The assessor may advise that the house requires such work as attic insulation, interior or exterior wall insulation, low emissions double-glazing, heating control or a range of other energy efficient works. The Government will then cover up to 30% of the cost of these works, to a maximum of €2,500. On completion of the works a follow-up energy assessment on the building will be undertaken so that there is a “before and after” test of what has been done.
Launching the Scheme Minister Ryan said, “Of the 1.7 million homes in Ireland, it is estimated that up to 1 million require some investment to improve their energy efficiency. This Scheme will support homeowners who wish to invest in their homes to bring them up to modern energy efficiency standards. Such investment has been shown to pay for itself in energy savings in a few short years.
This scheme will help Ireland meet our climate change targets at the same time as assisting the householder with energy costs. Householders will save on their electricity and heating bills; they will use their energy more wisely and increase the re-sale value on their homes. The Scheme will also be welcome news for the house-building sector.”
SEI (Sustainable Energy Ireland) estimate that the householder will save up to €700 in their energy bills every year and that the scheme will save 6,000 tonnes of CO2 in its first year alone. The full €100 million scheme is expected to yield greenhouse gas savings of 175,000 tonnes per year.
Next Steps
Presently, the scheme is not open directly for Homeowner applications. However, as a homeowner you can now start to think about the type of work you might like to undertake and contact A-Rated Energy on LoCall 1890 27 28 33 to discuss the HES Home Energy Savings Scheme Grant Assistance in more detail.
