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External wall insulation under the HES scheme may be exempt from planning permission. The key point is to keep the appearance of a house consistent with the character of neighbouring houses. In most of cases, the easiest solution to avoid any problems with planning authorities is to simply match the original appearance of the house.
SEAI advise however to contact local planning officer if there is any doubt about the future impact of external wall insulation on the character of local development.
Accordingly with the HES scheme Terms and Conditions, insulations works must be completed by SEAI registered contractor chosen from the list of contractors. In order to register under the scheme all contractors must be insured to the minimum standards required by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Moreover, all external insulation contractors must be approved by National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) prior registration under Home Energy Saving scheme.
Prime Insulation Systems Ltd is SEAI registered contractor under the HES scheme. If you wish us to carry out one of the insulation works covered by the Scheme grant please use our contractor ID: 14323 in the HES scheme application form.
The actual cost of external wall insulation may vary, depending on number of factors e.g. amount of windows, required drainage and downpipes alterations, possible roof extensions, finishes, etc.
As every house is unique in some way, we always recommend to order our free quotation, which is based on short site survey. If you wish to order one please click here to visit our contact page.
It depends on the size of the house and area of its walls. In case of a typical terraced house (50 60 sqm of walls) insulation works should take about five working days, while a typical semi-detached (approx. 120sqm) usually takes 8 to 10 working days. Please note that those figures are based on assumption that there is no disruptions due to bad weather such as frost or heavy showers.
The finish coat is available in almost 700 different colours and textures. To see some examples of finishes please visit our works gallery.
To see levels of grant support available from SEAI please visit our HES insulation grant section.
There are two methods to apply for a HES scheme grant:
Before applying for insulation grant please make sure that you have the following informations to hand:
For online applications please visit SEAI HES scheme Homeowner section.
For postal application download the application form or request one by contacting SEAI on 1850 927 000.
Grants are paid only after all works have been completed and you have fully paid all involved contractors and your BER assessor. It takes on average 4 to 6 weeks from the day when SEAI received correct paperwork to the day of payment.
Thickness of external insulation depends on the construction of the wall and has to be calculated individually for each house. In most of cases however a use of 100mm (4 inch) graphite enhanced EPS boards is sufficient to achieve required maximum U-value equal to 0.27 W/m²K. Allowing additional 15mm for the adhesive used to stick the insulation boards to the wall and approx. 5mm for base and finish coat, the total thickness reaches 120mm (almost 5 inches).
The actual savings will depend on the difference between current specification of the house (insulation level, heating system type and efficiency, percentage of low energy lights, etc.) and planned level of the upgrade. To make it simpler, lets analyze two most common Dublin houses and anticipated savings after a few most cost effective upgrade works. Lets assume that both houses have no external wall insulation, approx. 50mm fibre glass insulation in the attic, old pre-1998 gas boiler 68% efficient, 20mm thick lagging jacket on hot water cylinder, no heating control system and open fire room heater in living room.
The following simulations has been calculated on our request by SEAI registered BER assessor and are based on the most current ESB and Board Gáis energy prices.
Please note that heating bills costs have been estimated using standardised assumptions regarding household heating patterns and temperatures, heating season duration and mean external temperatures during the winter season in Ireland (i.e. 6°C for December, 5.3°C for January, 5.5°C for February).
| Measure | Original BER | Original annual heating and electricity bills cost* | Cost of the upgrade | Grant obtained | Net cost | BER achieved | Heating bills cost after upgrade | Annual savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | | | | | - | | | |
| External wall insulation | F | 1,856 | 11,200 | 4,000 | 7,200 | D2 | 1,342 | 514 |
| Attic insulation | D2 | 1,342 | 650 | 250 | 400 | D2 | 1,254 | 88 |
| New 110l hot water cylinder with 40mm factory insulation + cylinder thermostat | D2 | 1,254 | 900 | 0 | 900 | D1 | 1,175 | 79 |
| Installation of condensing gas boiler and heating system controls upgrade | D1 | 1,175 | 2,500 | 700 | 1,800 | C1 | 890 | 285 |
| 100% low energy lights | C1 | 890 | 50 | 0 | 50 | C1 | 761 | 129 |
| TOTAL COST | 15,300 | 4,950 | 10,350 | 1,095 | ||||
| Measure | Original BER | Original annual heating and electricity bills cost* | Cost of the upgrade | Grant obtained | Net cost | BER achieved | Heating bills cost after upgrade | Annual savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | | | | | - | | | |
| External wall insulation | E2 | 1,290 | 5,200 | 4,000 | 1,200 | D2 | 1,037 | 253 |
| Attic insulation | D2 | 1,037 | 550 | 250 | 300 | D1 | 963 | 74 |
| New 110l hot water cylinder with 40mm factory insulation + cylinder thermostat | D1 | 963 | 900 | 0 | 900 | D1 | 889 | 74 |
| Installation of condensing gas boiler and heating system controls upgrade | D1 | 889 | 2,500 | 700 | 1,800 | C1 | 686 | 203 |
| 100% low energy lights | C1 | 686 | 40 | 0 | 40 | C1 | 578 | 108 |
| TOTAL COST | 9,190 | 4,950 | 4,240 | 712 | ||||
As per Building Regulations 2008 TGD Part L definition thermal transmittance or the U-value relates to a building component or structure, and is a measure of the rate at which heat passes through that component or structure when unit temperature difference is maintained between the ambient air temperatures on each side. It is expressed in units of Watts per square metre per degree of air temperature difference (W/m²K).
In simple words the U-value describes how well a building element transfers heat and the lower the U-value, the less heat is needlessly escaping.
In the design process or during retrofit works we should always aim to achieve as low U-value as possible. The Building Regulations 2008 TGD Part L sets out the maximum average elemental U-value as follows:
| Fabric Elements | New Buildings & Extensions to Existing Buildings | Material Alterations to, or Material Changes of Use of, Existing Buildings |
|---|---|---|
| Pitched roof, insulation horizontal at ceiling level | 0.16 | 0.35 |
| Pitched roof, insulation on slope | 0.20 | 0.35 |
| Flat roof | 0.22 | 0.35 |
| Walls | 0.27 | 0.60 |
| Ground Floors | 0.25 | - |
| Other Exposed Floors | 0.25 | 0.60 |
| External personnel doors, windows and rooflights | 2.20 | 2.20 |
| Vehicle access and similar large doors | 1.5 | - |
To calculate the U-value it is necessary to assess its reciprocal the R-value.
Thermal mass is a building ability to absorb, store and then release the heat. Large thermal mass helps reduce the extremes in temperature experienced inside the home, making the average internal temperature more moderate and the home more comfortable to live in. For instance, when outside temperature is fluctuating throughout the day, a large thermal mass within the insulated house envelope can serve to "flatten out" the daily temperature changes, since the thermal mass will absorb thermal energy when the surroundings are higher in temperature than the mass, and give thermal energy back when the surroundings are cooler.