The Home Energy Saving (HES) scheme provides grants to homeowners who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their home in order to reduce energy use and costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme is open to all owners of existing houses built before 2006. Sustainable Energy Ireland administers the scheme.

Landlords and owners of multiple properties may also apply, however they must submit a separate application form for each property. If you are a landlord or a management company considering an entire building upgrade, please contact SEI before applying online for the grant.

Assistance will be provided by way of fixed grants towards the costs of implementing upgrade measures. The types of measures currently eligible under this scheme are roof insulation, wall insulation, high efficiency boilers and heating control upgrades. There is also a grant for households who choose to get a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment Before and After the works are completed, however this is not mandatory

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How Solar Hot Water Systems Work

A Solar Hot water system works by using the sun's rays to heat the water stored in your Hot water Cylinder in the Hot Press.

 

The graphic on the right shows the set up of a solar Hot Water System. The sun�s rays hit the solar panels which are normally mounted on the roof of your house. A special controller measures the temperature of the solar transfer liquid in the panels and turns on a pump when this temperature rises above the temperature in the bottom of the cylinder. When the pump is running the solar transfer liquid transfers the heat from the solar panels to the cylinder. There is no mixing between the water that you get from the hot taps and the solar transfer liquid. To prevent damage to the system, the solar transfer liquid contains an antifreeze to ensure the system is not affected by freezing weather in winter.

The image on the left shows the average level of solar radiation falling on a 1m2 surface per annum, measured in kWh (the same measure as a unit of electricity). On average Irish households use 3,000 kWh per annum on water heating, therefore it is obvious from the above graphic that a properly sized system will provide a large portion of the annual hot water requirements.

 

Winter Versus Summer

Many people assume that Solar Water Heaters are only effective in the summer months. While it is true that in the summer months a Solar water system will often provide 100% of a households hot water requirements, it is not true to say that they do nothing in the winter. Solar panels do not need direct sunlight to operate.

In winter the supply of water to the hot water cylinder is considerably colder than in summer, therefore a very small increase in the temperature in the solar panels will start to reduce the amount of energy required to generate hot water. There is a finite amount of energy required to heat every litre of water by every degree ( for 100 litres of water you will require 0.1 kWh to heat it one Degree)

To take an example, if the entry temperature of the water to the cylinder was 10 degrees, 100 litres of water were used early in the day, and the solar panels heated this up to 20 degrees, you would have saved 1kWh of energy, that otherwise would have had to be provided by a fossil fuel based energy source.

Under Floor Heating -

Rooms are heated by warm (45c) water circulating in continuous pipe loops embedded in the concrete floor. The floors reach a pleasant temperature of up to 27 degrees and produce a comfortable even heat throughout all the rooms. Virtually any floor covering can be used such as carpet, tiles, stone and the ever-popular wooden flooring.

How Under floor Heating Works:

As the heat literally radiates from the ground, the room is warmer at the lower levels and cooler at the ceiling therefore the heat from the floor is radiant or reflected onto the occupants.

Benefits of Under floor Heating:

Comfort
It supplies evenly distributed heat all around the house. However you can regulate the individual room temperature, as you require, by having a thermostat in every room.

Aesthetics
The only part of your heating system on view is a thermostat discreetly located in each room. There are no radiators to invade your space so furniture can be placed exactly where you want!

Low Running Cost
Your rooms feel warmer at lower thermostat settings. This results with cost reductions from up to 35%.

Health
Less air is moved about therefore, less dust is deposited. The low surface temperature of the under floor system doesn't dry out the air; this is good for asthma sufferers.

Adding Value to your Property
This system will make your property more desirable for resale.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What happens if there is a leak?
There are no joints and the pipe used is extremely tough. High-pressure tests can be done before the cement floor is laid. If for instance a nail is accidentally hammered into a pipe, a simple mechanical joint or hydraulic joint can be fitted for a quick and totally reliable repair. (Fitting can be ordered through environmental installations.).

How warm does the floor surface get?
The floor is about 27 degrees, only noticeable when walking around in your bare feet.

Is it more expensive than radiators?
Initially it is however if you were to install the same amount of controls into a radiator system as under floor it would roughly be the same price.

Is under Floor heating suitable for old buildings?
Yes it's suitable for all types of buildings. Ceiling heights not applicable.

In the unlikely case that the boiler overheats will this damage the pipes?
No this particular plastic pipe used it will accept up to 110 degrees with no ill effects.

Standard Plumbing

Boiler Tec offer a full range of traditional plumbing services as well as our renewable energy services. This includes:

• Oil Boiler installation and maintenance
• Gas Boiler installation and maintenance
• Bathroom / En-Suite installation
• Heating system power flushing
• Emergency repairs