The Tipperary Healthy Homes Scheme gives Tipperary home-owners the opportunity to retrofit their home to a B2 building energy rating (BER) standard.  Funding of 80% is available to achieve this for people in receipt of certain supplements.

Forty homeowners in Tipperary have had these life changing retrofits completed over the last two years. They include Aileen McCarthy (pictured opposite) who lives near Tipperary Town and suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Aileen’s house was completed in the scheme in 2017. The total upgrade took just 3 weeks to complete. “Since the job was done I seem to have improved immensely,” says Aileen. “Now, there’s no dirt, no dust and no fumes. It’s absolutely fantastic.”

As part of the scheme, all existing combustion appliances (e.g. oil burner, open fire or range) are replaced with a heat pump and ventilation system. This rids the home of dust and damp and removes fumes which are known to exacerbate serious respiratory health issues. The ventilation system detects increases in humidity & prompts airflow which evacuates stale air. The heat pump heats the home to a consistently warm temperature which together results in a warm home with no condensation and a healthy indoor air quality.

Combined with other measures such as insulation and air tightness measures, the Tipperary Healthy Homes upgrade will transform the comfort and health of the occupants. The home will consume less energy which will result in lower running costs. The scheme is run by Tipperary Energy Agency and is funded by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Electric Ireland and co-funded by the Horizon 2020 programme.

Homeowners in receipt of the following could be eligible for this package – Fuel Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance for over six months where the resident is the primary carer of at least one child under seven, the Family Income Supplement (FIS) or the domiciliary care allowance. The average value of works is estimated at €45,000 of which the homeowner pays in the region of €6,000 to €12,000.

There are a number of 1 to 1 clinics taking place, where you can meet Tipperary Energy Agency first hand and talk to them about your application. These will take place in the Clonmel Park Hotel on December 4th from 2 – 6pm and the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh in December 5th, 2 – 6pm.

This scheme has limited availability.  Inclusion onto the scheme is dependent on eligibility of both the applicant and the property.  Further information on tippenergy.ie/healthyhomes/  or call Tipperary Energy Agency on 052 74 43090