We need warmer, energy efficient, and connected homes

Housing is the defining issue of our generation. The ongoing housing crisis has had wide ranging effects on all aspects of Irish life. In the recent Growing up in Ireland survey by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 98 per cent of Irish people aged 25 listed access to housing as a major issue of concern, ahead of mental health, poverty, race, or gender equality, writes Bord Gáis Energy’s Claire Madden.

Claire Madden, General Counsel, Bord Gais Energy

Bord Gáis Energy has been delivering energy to Irish customers for almost 50 years. Our business has been, and continues to be, premised on the ability to power, heat and make a home. As a business, we are committed to energising a greener, fairer future in this country. Access to housing is a fundamental requirement of that future.

Getting homes built is not just a matter of planning and construction. It is a matter of connection – to water, to communications and to power.

Bord Gáis Energy operates Whitegate Power Station in County Cork which can provide up to 10 per cent of Ireland’s demand. With the support of its shareholder Centrica, Bord Gáis Energy has committed to invest €1 billion over five years in Ireland – beginning with the commissioning of two peaker plants targeted for later this year. These plants will underpin security of supply on an increasingly renewable-based system – responding flexibly when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.

While the supply of power is critical, we also urgently need to invest in grid infrastructure to make connections a reality. A robust and modern grid is foundational to Ireland’s green energy and housing ambitions. That investment must also be matched with resources and recruitment at critical agencies tasked with ensuring the delivery of a robust, secure and decarbonised network, such as Eirgrid, ESB Networks, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), and the departments of energy and enterprise. We welcome the recent commitment of resources to An Coimisiún Pleanála. This needs to be matched in other essential agencies.

While efforts to increase the housing stock continue, we must not lose sight of the comfort and efficiency of our existing stock. Energy efficiency has become a central focus for both homeowners and businesses in recent years as society responds to the growing concerns of the climate crisis and the volatility of energy prices. Our customers are more alert to how they use energy and there is a growing awareness of the supports through which they can be more energy efficient, such as the grants available for upgrades and retrofits to homes and businesses.

This without doubt requires a continuation of government supports to homeowners who wish to make their properties more energy-efficient in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The success of this can be seen in the significant year-on-year increases in home energy upgrades recorded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

But it is not just government leading on this agenda, nor should it be. Industry too is playing its part.

To demonstrate this, we in Bord Gáis Energy – as part of that commitment to a greener, fairer future – recently launched our One Stop Shop service, recognised by the SEAI, which aims to support customers in decarbonising their homes and work towards reaching net zero by 2050.

The service allows us to help customers create warmer, more energy-efficient homes, reducing their energy bills and carbon footprint. Our team of experts guide customers from start to finish, evaluating their needs, recommending the best solutions, securing SEAI grants and managing the works.

The net result is a minimum B2 BER rating on work completion.

Finally, as well as ensuring homes are as energy efficient as possible, we must ensure that the energy flowing into those homes has also been decarbonised. Here too, government has led, spearheading new supports on wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy generation. Again too, Bord Gáis Energy will play its part.

So when it comes to housing, there is lots to do, but lots to achieve. Let us continue our work.

W: www.bordgaisenergy.ie