One Million Irish Homes Poorly Insulated Says Renewable Energy Skills

Almost a million Irish homes built before 1997 are poorly insulated and energy inefficient, according to the country's leading renewable energy association.

The Renewable Energy Skills Accel Project (RES) claims that Irish households are wasting millions of Euro each year on heating poorly insulated homes and that the situation is unlikely to improve without Government intervention. The network has indicated that the provision of grant aid to the owners of houses built prior to the introduction of the 1997 Building Regulations would help improve energy efficiency.

Johnny Flynn, Ennis Town Councillor and Chairperson of RES stated, "The introduction of environmentally sound construction methods and materials in the building of new homes is being undermined by the fact that approximately two thirds of existing Irish homes remain poorly insulated and are, therefore, neither energy efficient nor environmentally friendly."

"If this Government is serious about significantly reducing overall carbon emissions, as set out under the recently launched Government White Paper, then it must address the disastrous situation whereby over a million homes across Ireland are extremely poorly insulated. Renewable Energy Skills would like to see grant aid being made available to the owners of homes built before 1997", continued Mr. Flynn.

He explained, "There are many vulnerable people in our communities, such as the elderly and low income households, who are living in homes without adequate insulation. Without adequate insulation, which makes these buildings practically impossible to heat, these people are suffering from health problems and are also facing huge fuel bills."

"Apart from reducing fuel and electricity bills, a more energy-efficient home helps to protect the environment and provide greater protection for householders against future increases in fuel costs, as well as making the use of renewable energy technologies a more practical option", concluded Mr. Flynn.