This week on Ours to Protect we took a look at what steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint and keep your costs down.
Did you know ? …….
It’s been bitterly cold over the last few days and to keep our homes warm, most of us have had the heating running for longer and fires and stoves lit earlier than usual.
This means more money spent and more greenhouse gas emissions.
What can we do?……
The first and most important step to save money on heating and minimise our impact on the environment is improving insulation in our homes and businesses.
There’s no point investing in green energy like solar panels and heat pumps if that heat is lost through poorly insulated attics, walls, windows and doors.
A Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate rates your home's energy performance on a scale between A and G and it’s legally required if you are selling, renting or buying a home.
Although the open fire is lovely to look at, it can be very inefficient.
There are lots of grants available through the SEAI to upgrade the insulation of your home. Some homeowners are entitled to free energy upgrades.
So to reduce your energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions consider upgrading your insulation, improving the seals on windows and doors, hanging long curtains over north facing windows, converting from an open fire to a stove and investing in thermostats to avoid wasting energy.
Useful links….
https://www.seai.ie/home-energy/building-energy-rating-ber/
https://www.seai.ie/home-energy/building-energy-rating-ber/find-a-ber/
https://www.seai.ie/grants/
