Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan today called on communities to co-operate on home energy efficiency improvements as he unveiled a €5 million home-energy grant scheme.
The Minister announced today that Sustainable Energy Ireland is inviting applications for the "Cluster Housing" phase of the Government’s Home Energy Saving Pilot Scheme.
Grants of up to €2,000 per household are now available to clusters of five or more houses for energy improvements such as insulation and heating controls.
The aim of the cluster element is to show the economies of scale that are achievable when a group of homeowners co-operate on the installation of common energy saving measures.
Mr Ryan said: "One of the most sensible ways to help deal with rising energy costs is to improve the energy efficiency of our homes . . . it has been estimated that householders can save up to €500 a year by bringing their houses up to modern energy efficiency standards.
"I would urge people to consider how best they might take advantage of this opportunity to not only help themselves, but also others in their community as well as the environment," he added.
The Home Energy Saving Scheme was announced by the Minister in April of this year and is under way in north Tipperary, Limerick/Clare, and Dundalk, with over 1,000 homes participating.
