Energy ratings on existing houses - what is acceptable?
- Thread starter RMCF
- Start date
I had a 1000sqft duplex in Dublin built in 2003 and I cahnged the bulbs to low-e bulbs and insulated pipework in hot-press and it got a C1.
Now, lots of default values had to be used (walls, windows etc...) but I would guess that this was typical enough of the standard over the past decade alright...
Whether it's good enough is a matter of opinion. For me, not good enough. 'A' is good enough. Anything less is not good enough for me..
Now, lots of default values had to be used (walls, windows etc...) but I would guess that this was typical enough of the standard over the past decade alright...
Whether it's good enough is a matter of opinion. For me, not good enough. 'A' is good enough. Anything less is not good enough for me..
sydthebeat
Registered User
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it depends on the building regs under which they were built...
most post 2008 standard 3 bed semis will be B3
most 2002-08 standard 3 bed semis will be C3
most 1992-02 standard 3 bed semis will be D -E
most pre 92s will be F's and G's
and as an aside most post 2012 will be A rated
An A3 is possible with full-fill cavity insulation, ground source heat pump, heat exchanger system, double glazing, over 200mm of Rockwool in the roof, in a dormer bungalow style house.
All the internal studs to be packed with Rockwool upstairs, which make the individual bedrooms easier to heat up and to retain heat.
ONQ.
[broken link removed]
All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
All the internal studs to be packed with Rockwool upstairs, which make the individual bedrooms easier to heat up and to retain heat.
ONQ.
[broken link removed]
All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
Very serious, RMCF - in general it costs money to save money.
It all depends on what you want to put your money into.
Mechanical and electrical items cost more, by weight, than building materials - and usually must be maintained annually or bi-annually and replaced after about 15-20 years.
Solar panels can break, turbines can be damaged, etc.
Orientation a building to avail of southern exposure costs nothing.
Designing the opes to maximise solar gain costs very little.
Placing a building to avoid severe exposure may cost a significant amount, depending on the internal road access.
But these are not variables in an existing house, they're a given.
You can change windows specification, and sizes and even location - at a cost.
Airtightness canalso be improved, but this is a very diligent whole building operation and can cost money in drywall construction - wet plaster internals are inherently more "sealed", but once you seal a house you must ventilate it in a controlled way.
That's a whole other discipline, involving sealing up chimneys, choices between active and passive or hybrid stack systems, internal sealing membranes, external weathering membranes, secure fixing of insulation in cavities, full cavity fills - there is a lot.
The one thing that can be increased, at a reasonable cost, for both new and existing hosues and that will cost very litte in maintenance fees over the years is insulation.
Can I respectfully direct you to the ConstructIreland website where you should read a few of the articles.
Jeff Colley's team od an excellent job of promiting sustainable architecture.
http://www.constructireland.ie/
Plus its a good read.
I am subscribed to their magazine, no other connection.
Finally can I also suggest you research a utility-bill based retrofitting scheme announced at last years Plan Expo in the RDS.
There is a scheme supposedly online now, where retrofitting insulating is paid for through your utility bills.
I think the theory was that it would be charged at a rate not exceeding what you saved on heating.
That way your heating bills didn't go up, and your house was better insulated.
I'm sure any of the retrofit companies will advise you on grants, etc.
ONQ.
[broken link removed]
All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
It all depends on what you want to put your money into.
Mechanical and electrical items cost more, by weight, than building materials - and usually must be maintained annually or bi-annually and replaced after about 15-20 years.
Solar panels can break, turbines can be damaged, etc.
Orientation a building to avail of southern exposure costs nothing.
Designing the opes to maximise solar gain costs very little.
Placing a building to avoid severe exposure may cost a significant amount, depending on the internal road access.
But these are not variables in an existing house, they're a given.
You can change windows specification, and sizes and even location - at a cost.
Airtightness canalso be improved, but this is a very diligent whole building operation and can cost money in drywall construction - wet plaster internals are inherently more "sealed", but once you seal a house you must ventilate it in a controlled way.
That's a whole other discipline, involving sealing up chimneys, choices between active and passive or hybrid stack systems, internal sealing membranes, external weathering membranes, secure fixing of insulation in cavities, full cavity fills - there is a lot.
The one thing that can be increased, at a reasonable cost, for both new and existing hosues and that will cost very litte in maintenance fees over the years is insulation.
Can I respectfully direct you to the ConstructIreland website where you should read a few of the articles.
Jeff Colley's team od an excellent job of promiting sustainable architecture.
http://www.constructireland.ie/
Plus its a good read.
I am subscribed to their magazine, no other connection.
Finally can I also suggest you research a utility-bill based retrofitting scheme announced at last years Plan Expo in the RDS.
There is a scheme supposedly online now, where retrofitting insulating is paid for through your utility bills.
I think the theory was that it would be charged at a rate not exceeding what you saved on heating.
That way your heating bills didn't go up, and your house was better insulated.
I'm sure any of the retrofit companies will advise you on grants, etc.
ONQ.
[broken link removed]
All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
ONQ
Many thanks for your very detailed answer, especially that website link. Most interesting.
I cannot see myself going down the solar panels (hear they never pay for themselves) or turbine route (too expensive). I had considered these if I was going to build but we saw a 2nd hand house that fitted the bill and bought that instead.
As you say, cannot change most things about it cheaply, but will defintely be looking into the main ones like insulation, draught proofing, energy efficient applicances etc.
Thanks again for your time.
Many thanks for your very detailed answer, especially that website link. Most interesting.
I cannot see myself going down the solar panels (hear they never pay for themselves) or turbine route (too expensive). I had considered these if I was going to build but we saw a 2nd hand house that fitted the bill and bought that instead.
As you say, cannot change most things about it cheaply, but will defintely be looking into the main ones like insulation, draught proofing, energy efficient applicances etc.
Thanks again for your time.