SEAI introduce Deep Retrofit Pilot scheme
SEAI introduce Deep Retrofit Pilot scheme
The SEAI recently launched a new Deep Retrofit Pilot Scheme in June in the Aviva Stadium. The scheme aims to tackle a considerable portion of Ireland’s building stock that performs poorly when compared against buildings constructed to modern standards.
What is Deep Retrofit?
Deep Retrofit is the significant upgrade of a building toward nearly zero energy requirements where it is practically feasible and achievable. Rather than upgrading isolated parts of the house, the whole home should be assessed as a system, looking at how energy is used and retained. All aspects of the building fabric, air tightness, ventilation and renewables should be assessed.
SEAI’s Deep Retrofit Pilot Programme
SEAI are commencing the first of multi-annual pilots which will investigate the challenges and opportunities that Deep Retrofit present. The learning from these pilots will inform our approach and support towards the large scale Deep Retrofit of buildings in Ireland. The initial focus will be on the residential market.
The government has allocated €5million in 2017 to support this pilot. Funding will be provided to projects which demonstrate an integrated, comprehensive strategy for significantly improving home energy performance. Projects are required to achieve an A3 BER and a minimum uplift of 150 kWh/m2/year.
Projects will generally comprise:
- Whole house solution which includes a fabric first approach
- Deployment of renewable solutions supporting transition from fossil fuels
SEAI will provide up to 50% funding of the total capital costs and project management (including design) costs. SEAI will provide a much higher rate of funding, up to 95%, for voluntary housing association homes and the homes of those that are in energy poverty (defined as meeting the Warmer Homes eligibility criteria). This is only available as part of a wider project that includes non-energy poverty homes. The energy poverty component must make up no more than 25% of the total number of homes in each project.
To maximise the learnings from the pilot, SEAI aims to fund a range of projects which support:
- A range of building archetypes
- Development toward large scale deployment
- Regulatory development
- Multiple customer benefits
If you would like to learn more about the new SEAI scheme and discover how it can improve your buildings energy rating, then speak with Brian Collentine, one of the leading experts in the industry at b.collentine@ors.ie.