Saving energy can also save you money

ASK YOURSELF yourself a question. If you had a hole in your pocket and you were loosing money from it would you fix it or just carry on. I think we know the answer!

People need to take a look at the energy they are using in their homes every day. Just because you don't pay as you are using it, doesn't mean you can't monitor it more carefully. I believe a lot of energy costs can be reduced, simply by watching the way you use energy.

Since the SEI have brought out the Home Energy Savings scheme (HES) people seem to have sat up and taken notice of the insulation in their homes but there is so much more to it.

I was building a house about four years ago and I found that everyone was trying to sell me the latest energy products, telling me they were the best in the world. One even told me that I was getting the same insulation that was used in the space shuttle (even though it cost millions to put on the shuttle). So that got me thinking about giving totally impartial advice to people who are thinking of building or just want to up grade their homes.

It doesn't have to be expensive to save energy; a plan can be done to virtually any budget over a number of years.

What I do is to compare like with like, so you get the real story about the product and what it can do. I do checks on products as to their cost effectiveness and to the benefit they will give towards savings in energy. There are good products out there on the market that give good returns for their money.

In my column in weeks to come I hope to explain about energy saving products, how they work and the savings they give. I will also give an estimated payback time.

It is important to remember that money spent on energy efficiency will continue to give savings after the product has paid for itself. I will be able to answer some e-mails that might come in with any questions about space heating systems, water heating systems, lighting, solar, glazing, insulations, grants etc. If there is any new product that is out there I will do my best to rate it. You can e-mail any queries you have to info@thermaloss.ie

Enough chat, down to business. The SEI have announced the Home Energy Saving scheme (HES), they are selecting suitable contractors and registering them. Only registered contractors are able to carry out work if you want to get the grants. It would be advisable to price around and get a few quotes. With the economy the way it is, it is a good time to bargain with contractors and get as much as you can for your money.

You are not able to start any work at the moment, but you can register your interest with the SEI by contacting them on 1850 927000 or e-mailing them on hes@sei.ie . SEI will contact you when they have enough contractors in place and you will get your application form then.

I have the list of grants available set out below

Grants are payable when measures are completed in compliance with the scheme's Terms and Conditions. The steps involved in getting a grant payment are:

The minimum grant is €500, you can't include the BER assessment grant as part of this. I would recommend that you insulate your home and seal it before you look at spending money on a heating system.

What you want to do is keep any heat that you produce in your home. Air leaks means that your air change rate is high so your boiler has to fire up more often to keep your rooms at a particular temperature.

I must sign off now but you can check in next week for more energy saving news. Don't forget if you have any questions you can e-mail me on info@thermaloss.ie and I will try to include the in my column.