SEI - Some grants halved

yop

Just robbed this off AskAboutMoney but it seems that we have rollback on the grants, strange how it happens after the election! :rolleyes:

There goes trying to get people to convert or choose alternative energy. I would presume we are the first country to do this:
:eek:
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=63044

gears

Amazingly enough we're not the first country to do this, the U.K has done this earlier in the year and I believe Germany has also reduced or eliminated the grants for heat pumps (which isn' t surprising). If it's not just a penny pinching exercise the only logic I can think of would be that they want people to look at house design when it comes to being more energy efficient and not just putting a few solar panels on the roof or changing a boiler.

Mellor

gears wrote:

eliminated the grants for heat pumps (which isn' t surprising)

I think it fair enough. Heat pumps are overated in this country. They're not as good for the environment as people make out. Unless powered by a wind generator or the ESB suddenly changes production to a method above 50% efficiency, they aren't worth.

ircoha

Excellent news:
now watch all the prices stay as they are because the industry has always denied that the prices went up to match the grants.

The grants did little or nothing to drive local development of Alt_Eng, most of the kit is imported, marked up to match the grants, and installed.

This will do to Alt_Eng what the stamp duty wobble did to the housing market as people will wait to see are the prices going to drop and then perhaps the grants drop again.

fatboymsport

im about the start my self build and was planing on using a wood pellet stove/boiler along with ofch think i will just stick in a open fire now and save myself 10k

Mellor

fatboymsport wrote:

im about the start my self build and was planing on using a wood pellet stove/boiler along with ofch think i will just stick in a open fire now and save myself 10k

Or you could install a efficient heating system, take the grant as those ones haven't changed.
And ditch the open fire and chimney altogether.

Won't cost you much more as chimney and fireplace and quite expensive, and you won't be long making it back without all the heat and air (money) going up the flue

Villain

Mellor I wanted to build my house without a chimney and fireplace but almost everyone told me it would restrict my ability to sell the house as most Irish people want an open fire in their home?

What system do you think offer the best value for money Mellor?

smashey

irish1 wrote:

Mellor I wanted to build my house without a chimney and fireplace but almost everyone told me it would restrict my ability to sell the house as most Irish people want an open fire in their home?

What system do you think offer the best value for money Mellor?

If you don't want an open fire, don't include it. You can always add a dummy chimney to the house to help with the aesthetics.

fatboymsport

looking on the sei site the grant for biomass stoves with back boiler is still the same so mainly heat pumps that are affected.

http://www.sei.ie/index.asp?locID=1305&docID=-1

Mellor

irish1 wrote:

Mellor I wanted to build my house without a chimney and fireplace but almost everyone told me it would restrict my ability to sell the house as most Irish people want an open fire in their home?

What system do you think offer the best value for money Mellor?

I reccommend going that route. As nice as they can look. They add considerable cost to the house, even more so when they are not used anymore.
They are a poor source of heat, worse form infact. And even when the high spec boiler is being used the heat is all going up the flue.


If I had the space I'd like to have a wood pellet boiler. The wood pellet might change to a condensing gas fired boiler if it looks like a better option. Would rather wood pellet as it is carbon neutral.
Inside a multi fuel/pellet stove. Could provide the aestheics of a open fire.

As for a dummy chimney, why bother. nobody would notice. If you look up you don't notice a chimney missing, unless you were looking for it. There are plenty of houses with chimneys only visable from one side. People would assume yours was like this without thinking about it.

irish1

irish1 wrote:

Mellor I wanted to build my house without a chimney and fireplace but almost everyone told me it would restrict my ability to sell the house as most Irish people want an open fire in their home?

I had a similar experience, but stuck to my guns and didn't build an open fireplace & chimney (expensive TV antenna mount).
Anyway I'm not selling the house!
Visitors don't notice it until my wife points it out (she says it like it's a fault :rolleyes:).

Mellor

Deleted User wrote:

I had a similar experience, but stuck to my guns and didn't build an open fireplace & chimney (expensive TV antenna mount).
Anyway I'm not selling the house!
Visitors don't notice it until my wife points it out (she says it like it's a fault :rolleyes:).

Exactly.

There are a few people about who just finished self building. I think if they posted up a cost list of the elements of a open fire it would really back up the idea. Extra blocks in the breast. The stack on top, capping, cowl, flue, filling. And those are the cheap bits. The marble hearth, surround, mantle, grate, fire back and flue gatherer, metal tray DPC, flashing, soakers, changes to insulation around, and all the labour.
They aren't cheap and they are useless pieces of ****e.

smashey

Mellor wrote:

Exactly.

There are a few people about who just finished self building. I think if they posted up a cost list of the elements of a open fire it would really back up the idea. Extra blocks in the breast. The stack on top, capping, cowl, flue, filling. And those are the cheap bits. The marble hearth, surround, mantle, grate, fire back and flue gatherer, metal tray DPC, flashing, soakers, changes to insulation around, and all the labour.
They aren't cheap and they are useless pieces of ****e.

Hey Mellor, you forgot the coal.

I agree with everything there. My dummy fireplace suggestion was purely aesthetic and "if required".:D

I have an open fire here and never use it. To me fireplaces are like "views". People say they love an open fire but in my case I don't miss it at all. With regards to having a view, most people might mention it to somebody else, but when they are at home they are watching television rather than looking out the window.

muffler

smashey wrote:

People say they love an open fire but in my case I don't miss it at all.

And would the flicker of the burning embers not compliment the twinkle in Mrs Smashey's eyes when you are both curled up on the rug on a winters night?





Watching the simpsons