Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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To be eligible for the recently launched Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, homeowners must avail of a grant under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, Community Energy Grant Scheme or Better Energy Homes Scheme. Applicants must also utilise an SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Project Coordinator or Energy Partner to carry out home energy upgrade works.

These SEAI-approved providers will supply homeowners with a Home Energy Summary Report of the planned energy upgrade works to enable them to apply for the Loan Scheme. These approved providers offer homeowners all the services required for a complete home energy upgrade and can advise whether the planned works meet the requirements for the loan scheme, as well as advising on the grants that may be available from SEAI.

The Home Energy Assessment is not a requirement for the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme. A pre and post BER is a requirement of the loan Scheme.

The Home Energy Summary Report is a one-page report setting out, inter alia, the current published BER and the proposed energy upgrade project details which a One Stop Shop, Energy Partner or Community Project Coordinator shall provide to the homeowner, together with a quotation. The Home Energy Summary Report must be submitted to participating finance providers by the homeowner as part of a loan application under the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme.

Regardless of which grant route the homeowner chooses, there must be a valid, published BER certificate undertaken by a registered BER assessor, on the home before the One Stop Shop, Energy Partner or Community Project Coordinator can provide a fully completed Home Energy Summary Report to the homeowner. All applicants must therefore have a valid BER certificate on their home before they can access the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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When homeowners apply for SEAI grant support to install a heat pump, a technical assessment of the property is required in most instances to ensure that dwelling is suitable for a heat pump.

This assessment is carried out by a Technical Advisor, whose role is to guide the homeowner on the suitability of the dwelling for a heat pump system, particularly from a heat loss perspective (the Heat Loss Indicator – HLI).

The Technical Advisor is required to outline the fabric improvements and air tightness options available to the homeowner to help them achieve the HLI requirement whilst outlining the pros and cons of each approach. The Technical Advisor decides with the homeowner on the best option to achieve the HLI requirement and details the works required.

The SEAI advises my officials that this requires a level of building physics and technical knowledge that is not covered in BER assessor training. Hence additional proof of competence is required. This can be demonstrated with a level 7 degree in a building related disciple (e.g., architecture, building services, engineering, etc) or membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., CIBSE, EI, RAIA, etc).