Insulating the 50sq.m. attic space of a typical house costs around €400 and could save approximately €130 a year (up to 20% of your fuel bill) so it would pay for itself in about three years. Insulating a flat roof of the same size could cost about 1,000 and will pay for itself in around five years.

As well as saving money, you will be helping to reduce the emmission of carbon dioxide and other environmentally-polluting substances.

There are different types of insulation that you can use in your roofing. Each type of insulation has a different insulation value or U-Value, the lower the U-Value, the better the insulating material. Typical insulation in an attic should be more than 20-30cm thick unless you are using more advanced thinner materials. Here are a some of the most common types of insulation that you can purchase at your local DIY store:

Sheep’s wool – This type of insulation is made from sheep’s wool. Sheep’s wool is a very good insulator, but can be more expensive than other insulating materials.

Fibreglass – Fibreglass is made from molten glass spun into microfibers. Its probably the most common used form of roof insulation and can be purchased from most DIY stores.

Rock Wool – Rock wool is made from molten rock instead of glass.

Cellulose – made from shredded recycled paper. This is not as common but it is a great insulator.

Eco insulation – this can be made from a range of recycled materials, such as plastic bottles or paper.

Reflective foil thin insulation – this type of insulation is thinner than regular insulation, it has many layers of foil with fibrous material in between.

Can You Do It Yourself?

Pitched roof with an attic space – The majority of Irish houses have a pitched roof, which is the easiest type to insulate and with a little care and guidance can be insulated by yourself.

Attic room – attic conversions are more complicated as the roof structure has to be insulated, so the appointment of a building contractor is advised.

Flat roof – The insulation of new and existing flat roofs should be carried out by a roofing contractor.

Choosing Insulation

Insulation is available from builders’ providers, DIY and hardware stores and specialist contractors.

Buy insulation from a reputable supplier who can help you choose the most suitable insulation for your roof type. If using glass or mineral fibre wool insulation, specify a minimum thickness of 100mm between joists and 150mm across joists. To find out how much insulation you need, check the measurements between the joists, their length and the number of joist spaces in your attic.

If installing the insulation yourself, check if special precautions should be taken when handling the material.

Precautions

It is essential to cross-ventilate the attic space to prevent condensation by leaving a continuous air gap along the eaves at each side.

In attic room conversions, it is essential to ventilate the roof structure between the insulation and the roofing felt with continuous air gaps along the eaves and at the ridge. Special ventilation tiles are available for ridge ventilation.

Don’t bury electric gables under the insulation. Leave cables clear and avoid compressing. Keep plastic-insulated cables away from polystyrene insulation.

Leave clearance for recessed lights to avoid them overheating.

Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the natural constant temperature of the earth. During winter when the ground temperature is warmer than the air above it, geothermal heat pumps use the earth’s soil (or groundwater) to recover the earth’s heat. In contrast, an air-source heat pump will remove heat from the cold outside air and thus requires more energy. In the summer months, geothermal heat pumps deliver heat to the same relatively cool soil (or groundwater) rather than delivering it to the hot outside air as an air source pump does. As a result, the heat is pumped over a greater temperature difference with a geothermal heat pump and this leads to higher efficiency and lower energy use.

Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that encourages conservation of natural resources. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, geo-exchange systems save homeowners 30-70 percent in heating costs, and 20-50 percent in cooling costs, compared to conventional systems. Geo-exchange systems also save money because they require much less maintenance. In addition to being highly reliable they are built to last for decades and can add considerably the resale value of a structure.

Geothermal energy is one of the few renewable energy technologies that, like fossil fuels, can supply continuous, base load power. The future for the direct use of geothermal resources is becoming more attractive as prices continue to drop. It is predicted that geothermal heating will continue to become a more popular option for homes and businesses seeking long term cost and energy savings.

A: If the house and granny flat is being sold as one unit then one BER is required. If the granny flat is going to be rented at a later date then it will require a separate BER Certificate

The legal obligation to provide a BER arises at the point at which an existing building is offered for sale or lease. It is irrelevant, for present purposes, what the purchaser proposes to do in the future.

The exemptions are outlined in Statutory Instrument No 666 of 2006 as follows

The provisions of these Regulations shall not apply to the following categories of buildings -

(a) a national monument for the purposes of the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004, including a recorded monument under the provisions of Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment ) Act 1994 or a registered historic monument under the provisions of the Section 5 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1987; or

(b) a protected structure or proposed protected structure within the meaning of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006; or

(c) a building used as a place of worship or for the religious activities of any religion; or

(d) a temporary building as defined in Classes 10 to 13 of the Third Schedule to the Building Regulations 1997 (S.I. No 497 of 1997); or

(e) an industrial building not intended for human occupancy over extended periods and where the installed heating capacity does not exceed 10 W/m2; or

(f) a non-residential agricultural building where the installed heating capacity does not exceed 10 W/m2; or

(g) a stand alone building with a total useful floor area of less than 50m2.