Advice on Energy Improvements

conor_mc said:
Good point Leo, I did find it hard to find consumption stats for the Tapo P110's that I have, found them for US-type plugs easily enough but not UK-type.
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Same, I eventually found some details on a user forum!!

Under the Ecodesign regs, most household devices sold in the EU must use less than 0.5W on standby, network connected devices can use up to 8W until next year when they must also meet the 0.5W limit. Smart plugs may still be a good idea then if you can control multiple devices via a single smart plug.
 
Yep, I have a 4-gang with several low-draw devices (TV, Sky Q, etc.) on one smartplug. Knocks off about 20W of power for 15 hours a day (most days!).
 
Reactions: Leo
If you just want to overall improve house comfort and running costs I would recommend going in order of payback
The info below is from the website https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/insulation
The pricing numbers might be a little out, as are the payback periods, but the order is pretty much correct.
Insulation typeCostsEnergy bill savings (£/year)CO2 savings (kgCO2/year)Payback (years)
Pipes & Water Tank£38£2267150.2
Loft£930£2706203.4
Cavity wall (270mm)£2,700£2806509.6
Solid wall (internal)£7,500£38088019.7
Solid wall (external)£12,000£38088031.6
Doors£840 – £4,325£45-44.4
Floor (suspended timber)£4,700£8018558.8
Windows< £15,000£16537584.8
 
I'd say that even if you don't have the money, solar PV is a no brainer. Using a Green Credit Union Loan @ 5.9% over 6 years would have been cost neutral for me over the repayment period, ie a payback period of 6 years. Using part-cash and repaying the smaller loan faster shortened it to 5 years.

That said, you need to shop around and refrain yourself from buying extra kit which you don't need just because it's there. (Like most purchasing decisions really). If I'd gone for the most expensive quote I got the payback would have been more like a decade.

There's several people I've given a detailed spreadsheet outlining my cost/benefit calculations to (and whom I periodically tell that I no longer have electricity bills) and I honestly can't figure out why they haven't made the straightforward and effectively cost free decision to get in solar. Possibly they're just getting scared off by the first quote they get.
 
I've seen this type of table before and am constantly amazed that probably THE number one heat loss issue and lowest hanging fruit in most houses in our mild (and getting milder) climate is consistently ignored i.e. air tightness or more to the point, the lack of it. There is absolutely no point in improving the insulation values of floors, walls, windows/doors or ceilings/roofs if the heated air is easily escaping and bypassing these insulation layers whether a wind blows or not. Not taking air tightness seriously is resulting in disappointing outcomes for the homeowner and will continue to.
Anybody considering going with any of the one size fits all one stop shop deep retrofit merchants needs to pay heed.
 
Thanks Micks'r, its a good point.
Do you have any rough guide on cost vs pay back period for Airtighness?
 
@Micks'r I'd also be interested in learning more about air tightness, such as who will check the house for you, what are the more practical improvements that can be made, and idea of costs etc. Thanks.
 
There's a Company called Airtightness.ie who will do the air tighness check for you. I see the price is 250 e

I've no connection and never used them myself.
 
Sybilla said:
I would rather not use a one-stop shop. Would like to pay for advice.
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There is a register for BER assessors and lots of them are also qualified to do energy assessments. In fact its worthwhile doing so even with one stop shop as you'll get an outside view from someone who is not trying to sell you anything. There is a list on the SEAI website.
 
Re: air tightness: Are you talking about the pipes that collect and distribute the warm air ? I'm shuddering at the thoughts of living/sleeping in a house that is airtight ?
 
AJAM said:
Do you have any rough guide on cost vs pay back period for Airtighness?
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On cost, there are two elements material and labour. You'll do a lot with €1000 to €2000 of air tight materials and a perhaps a weeks labour, though many clients decide to tackle the job themselves when they see what and how to address. The real challenge is to find the correct tradesperson who understands what's what.

Depends very much on how bad it is to work out the pay back period. Also, bear in mind that if a house has poor heat retention properties because of poor air tightness, it won't have been heated to the same extent as after good air tightness is achieved and therefore the pay back period generally isn't an apples to apples comparison (there is a certain 'comfort dividend' in play). Generally I would thing that a pay back period of less than 2 years would be expected.

Something which needs to be considered seriously as well is the likely increase in internal RH% when the 'natural' ventilation channels are closed off. This generally requires a simple enough centralised mechanical extract system depending on house layout to be installed which would obviously add to the cost but will ultimately result in reduced heating bills and much improved internal air quality.
 
Skyfox said:
There's a Company called Airtightness.ie who will do the air tighness check for you. I see the price is 250 e
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A stand alone air tightness test is done generally on new builds, gives a test result, takes an hour or two and that's it. The result is then used to determine compliance with the building regs. This type of test is typically around the €250 mark.
This type of test method / result outcome is generally not informative for the home owner of an existing property, in fact it is pretty meaningless without the thorough explanation / demonstration of where the issues / opportunities are etc. This is the value of an overall heat loss survey of which air tightness testing is a component, albeit an important one.
 
Iny my experience and opinion, the energy assessments you refer to are BER based, don't include any detailed air tightness assessment and as a result, in my book, not generally fit for purpose if you want to know what's happening in your house.
 
MrEarl said:
I'd also be interested in learning more about air tightness, such as who will check the house for you, what are the more practical improvements that can be made, and idea of costs etc.
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An air tight barrier needs to be on the warm side of insulation, continuous between different building elements (wall, windows, floors, roofs/ceilings) and the approach taken depends very much on the building type, age, shape etc and whether it is under construction of already existing.
The one over-riding factor lost on a lot of people and the reason why it is a difficult concept to grasp is the simple fact that the building regulations have very onerous insulation standards but very poor air tightness requirements. This is in a country with a relatively mild but windy climate!
So it is not unusual to have a very well 'insulated' house but yet it is difficult and/or expensive to keep warm.
 
elcato said:
Re: air tightness: Are you talking about the pipes that collect and distribute the warm air ? I'm shuddering at the thoughts of living/sleeping in a house that is airtight ?
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Are you referring to ventilation systems perhaps?
If so then with good air tightness, a ventilation strategy or system is required to get rid of the internally generated moisture (water vapour) otherwise you will more than likely have a mould problem.
Not sure what you are shuddering at tbh.
I've seen many the home with both chronic air leakage and plenty of mould
 
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