Dublin City Council would like to announce that up to the end of 2022, it has upgraded 9,186 of its social houses under the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme.
This has resulted in an estimated 677,184 MWh of energy savings, worth an estimated €73.6 million saved in energy bills for our tenants.
The Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme is designed to reduce unnecessary energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and demands for non-renewable resources in Dublin City Council’s housing stock. It is delivered by the Council’s Housing Maintenance division and also provides tenants with healthier and improved living conditions and offers significant money savings in heating costs too.
The programme, which is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, is rolled out on a phased basis:
Phase one of the programme commenced in 2013 and was completed in 2018 with 8,057 social houses upgraded.
Phase two of the programme is ongoing and commenced in 2018 with 1,129 social houses upgraded to end 2022.
The average Building Energy Rating (BER) improvement achieved under the programme has been an F to a C2 rating to date. Our current standard for Phase two is achieving a minimum BER rating of a B2 or better. This can include the installation of Heat Pumps where possible, which facilitates migrating the energy use away from fossil fuels (e.g. gas boilers).
Phase One
Phase one commenced in 2013 and was completed in 2018 with 8,057 social houses upgraded.
It targeted Dublin City Council houses of cavity wall construction and entailed the following upgrades/retrofitting measures:
- Cavity Wall Fill Insulation
- 300mm Attic, Tanks and Pipes Insulation
- Roof and Wall Ventilation
- Draught Proofing
- Cylinder Lagging Jackets
Phase Two
Phase two commenced in 2018 and has seen 1,129 social houses upgraded to date with a further 2,488 houses to be upgraded under this phase of the programme.
It targets Dublin City Council houses of solid wall construction and entails the following upgrades/retrofitting measures:
- External Wall Insulation
- 300mm Attic, Tanks and Pipes Insulation
- Roof and Wall Ventilation
- Draught Proofing
- Windows and Doors
- Hot Water Cylinders
- Heat Pumps
Furthermore, it has proven particularly successful, with some tenants on the ground saying that it looks like a new home.
Coilín O’Reilly, Assistant Chief Executive in the Council’s Housing & Community Department, said, “the significant energy efficiency improvements that are being undertaken across the Council’s housing stock will contribute towards reducing CO2 emissions, improving the quality of housing for City Council tenants and importantly, enabling them to minimise their heating bills by making their homes more energy efficient.”
Source: Dublin City Council
