78% of homes in Offaly town are using fossil fuels

78% of the homes in Birr are using fossil fuels to heat their dwellings, a meeting was recently told.
Birr Tidy Towns organised a public meeting in Marian Hall to outline the general situation regarding renewable energy in the town and the grants and support systems which are available to people.
They also unveiled the Birr Energy Master Plan which has been carried out by professionals. The evening proved to be very informative and beneficial for all the homeowners in attendance, who were introduced to the wide array of grants, energy supports, and valuable resources which are available for homeowners. There were exhibitors present from Offaly County Council, AIB, Chadwicks, and others offering insights and assistance to help people take the next steps towards a greener, more sustainable future. Birr Tidy Towns is strongly focussed on making people's homes and community more energy-efficient together.
The Birr Energy Plan survey, which was carried out on the homes of Birr Town, discovered the following percentages regarding the primary sources of fuel types which are being used:
42.9% of homes use Oil Central Heating as their primary heating source; 32.7% use Peat (including Turf). No one, according to the survey, uses wood or wood pellets as a primary heating source. 2.8% use coal; 0.2% natural gas; 0.2% liquid petroleum gas.
The survey also BER rated the homes. The BER rating goes from A to G. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient, comfortable and typically have the lowest energy bills. G-rated homes are the least energy efficient and require a lot of energy to heat their home. On average the typical Birr home is D1, therefore right in the middle of the rating grades.
The survey team told the meeting the various things which people can do to make their homes more energy efficient. These include Roof Insulation; Wall Insulation; the installation of new energy efficient windows and doors; removing the open fire and blocking up the chimney.
As part of the Master Plan four public premises were audited to identify opportunities for energy efficiency measures. The premises which were audited received a detailed report which was provided to each of the property owners. The four premises were: Birr Courthouse; Birr Credit Union; Marian Hall; and St Brendan's Community Centre.
The Communities Energy Grant is a government-funded program that helps communities make their buildings more energy efficient. By providing funding for retrofit projects, the program encourages communities to work together on bundling these projects, allowing them to be completed more cost-effectively.
SEAI Community Grants are managed by SEAI registered “Project Coordinators”. If the community is interested in applying for a Community Grant it is advised that they get in touch with a project coordinator.
The Offaly County Council Climate Action programme will provide funding to community organisations across Offaly to deliver a local climate action project or initiative. The first round of funding is for €24 million and €444,000 has been allocated to Offaly County Council. There are three grant sizes that can be applied for: Small scale projects - up to €20,000; Medium scale projects - €21,000 to €50,000; Large scale projects - €51,000 to €100,000.
The meeting was also told that the household items which use the most energy include the oven, iron and tumble dryer.
In our homes we lose 30% of our energy through our roofs, 30% through the walls; 20% through the floors; 10% through doors and windows; and 10% through Air Infiltration.
The three steps to a Home Energy Upgrade are: 1) An assessment. 2) Insulation work. 3) Add renewables.
Readers will find a list of registered BER Assessors on the SEAI website: www.seai.ie. SEAI offers homeowners insulation grants ranging from up to €1,500 for attic insulation, up to €1,700 for cavity wall insulation and up to €8,000 for external wall insulation.