The warmer home budget of 2022-2023

The warmer home budget of 2022-2023

The rising cost of home heating fuel, and energy in general, has sparked so many headlines of doom and gloom that we could be forgiven for thinking that we will all freeze into solid ice blocks this winter. The truth is probably less dramatic and less miserable. The government announcement of energy credits will assist as we will all face higher bills, and we may need to take extra steps to get the best out of the heat we have. At Enviroleak, we are always conscious of how precious kerosene is and strive to keep it safely in your oil tank and heating your home with a gentle humming, well serviced boiler. There are many things that you can do to ensure you are getting the best from your home heating oil and to conserve the heat in the house. The recent Irish budget offered an extension of some grants to help with this.

Alongside the practical aspect of universal €600 credits, to combat energy poverty, and a reduction on the VAT of energy bills, the budget 2022/23 also continues to offer an 80% enhanced grant rate for attic and cavity wall insulation. This is not to be sneezed at! In fact, you might not sneeze at all if you can save a third of your heating from simply disappearing out the roof and walls if you do not have good insulation. With proper insulation in the loft and walls, it is estimated that you can save up to €600 per year on your heating bills.  Floors and floorboards also lose heat if they are not correctly insulated and while the Government energy sites tell us that 10% of our heating could be slipping through the floorboards, we are reminded of the joy of a fluffy rug or carpet underfoot as the winter months take their toll or while you navigate the grant system.

The Better Energy for Homes scheme offers a step-by-step method for homeowners to improve the heat retention and energy savings on their homes and urges us all to strive for a BER 2 rating. (Which is the holy grail of BER ratings!)   An interesting comparison of your current homes BER status and a display of the money you could save, the improvement of comfort rate and the percentage fuel saved, can be calculated here. The figures are enticing. It has probably never been a more opportune time to avail of these home improvement and energy saving grants.  Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, TD, will   told the Dáil that this €337 million grant allowance is the “highest funding ever” committed to energy efficiency.   “This will fund over 37,000 home energy upgrades including households in, or at risk of, energy poverty through the Warmer Homes Scheme,” McGrath said.

The budget did not, however, address the rising cost of kerosene, but rather agreed a price increase in tax from the sale of home heating oil in May 2023.  This is in line with the EU and Ireland Carbon Neutral plans.  37% of the Irelands 1.7 million homes are dependent on oil fired heating and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.  Getting the optimum heat from our heating oil generates is now more important than ever. We will need to ensure that the heat going into the house stays there, whether that means additional insulation or simple measures like closing doors to unused rooms and bleeding radiators.

As always, keeping the tank and the boiler working well and ensuring that spills and leaks are avoided is a priority, But if the worst happens, and you suffer an oil leak,  you can count on us in Enviroleak to act fast to curtail the damage and save what oil we can.