Issue 9, Vol 5 Out Now
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Featured Article
| EnerPHit |
While the principles of low energy building apply equally for new build and upgrades, the reality is that htting passive levels becomes much trickier when retrofitting. The Passive House Institute have taken this on board and created a retrofit standard that is ambitious but achievable.
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Official magazine of Easca  |
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Energy upgrade programmes escape budget cuts |
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Wednesday, 08 December 2010 |
Government subsidies for energy efficiency and renewable energy
have come through Budget 2011 unscathed in spite of swingeing cuts
across the economy. Energy minister Eamon Ryan TD has announced a
budget of €99m for energy upgrading Irish buildings in 2011 as the
government ramps up for the launch of the National Energy Retrofit
Programme (NERP).
"I'm pleased to have secured this money for retrofit," minister
Ryan told Construct Ireland. "We aim to upgrade one million homes
over the next decade. Retrofitting your house is the single
smartest investment you can make."
Since 2007, the government has supported the energy efficiency
upgrades of over 110,000 homes creating over 5,000 full time jobs.
Set to be announced in January 2011, the NERP has set a target of
upgrading one million buildings over the next decade. The
programme is being designed to achieve an 8000GWh in Ireland's
energy consumption by 2020 through a combination of utility
obligations such as Pay as You Save and refined versions of the
SEAI's existing programmes. A spokesperson for the minister said
that this scheme in tandem with the new tax credits of €30 million
for energy efficiency upgrades will create another 5,000 jobs.
For work carried out under the NERP, home owners can claim a tax
credit at the standard rate of 20% on works of up to €10,000. The
maximum value of the credit is set at €2,000 to the home owner and
this can be used to reduce their income tax bill over a number of
years. Total relief granted is up to €30 million in one year. A
spokesperson for the minister said that further details will be
announced shortly.
Renewable energy
€13 million to implement the ocean energy strategy will enable
Ireland to unlock the power of the sea and be the first in the
world with a commercially viable ocean energy device.
Business expansion scheme for green energy
The amendments to the Business Expansion Scheme will help
developers and promoters of green energy projects. By increasing
the amount of equity which can be raised from €2m per company to
€10m and by widening the scope of what is a qualifying activity,
it will act as a stimulus to activities in the wind, ocean &
solar energy, geothermal and biomass sectors. This measure will
help establish Ireland as a centre for green financing.
Grants for electric vehicles
From 1 January, grants of up to €5000 per vehicle will be
available for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Minister Ryan said: “While necessary savings must be made, I am
pleased that we have been in a position to secure funding in the
important areas of energy and communications.
"Next year we will announce and deliver a new national retrofit
scheme, deliver a new national postcodes system for the country,
implement the ocean energy strategy, provide grant assistance for
electric cars, roll out the digital schools programme, announce a
new rural broadband scheme and prepare for digital television.
This is an ambitious programme of delivery, building on our work
over the previous 3 years.
We are delivering the smart green economy which is providing the
next generation of jobs for our people.”
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Jeff Colley |
| About the author: |
| Jeff
Colley has been the editor of Construct Ireland, Ireland's pioneering
sustainable building magazine, since 2003.
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