Greener Living | Winter | 2022

Welcome

It’s a difficult time for many with rising energy costs and especially as we’re heading into the colder winter months. With that in mind, in this edition we’ve compiled a useful list of low-cost and easy-to-execute suggestions that will help you to not only save money, but also live a little more sustainably.

Also on the following pages you’ll find some tips on getting the idea of recycling and re-using across to our children and so help to engender a more circular economy. There’s also a piece on using technology to live a little greener, advice on future-proofing your home and lots, lots more.

As always we ask you to support our advertisers – by keeping business local it serves not only the community but also is a great way to reduce our collective carbon footprint.

– The Southern Star team The Southern Star, Greener Living and our other supplements throughout the year are all printed on paper made exclusively from recycled materials.

25 ways to cut your costs

Every

Do fewer loads of laundry and only run full loads. Your ma chine will use the same amount of energy regardless of how full it is If there’s not enough for a full load then adjust the settings on the machine accordingly.

Don’t wash clothes just because they’re worn once or twice. Wait until they are actually dirty.

Spin clothes at the highest setting – this will extract more water and thus speed up the dry ing time. Air-dry your laundry when and where possible. Dryers are very heavy on energy consump tion, plus they are damaging to clothing in the long term. Dryer balls – use three or four of these in your dryer and you could cut down drying time by up to 25%.

If you are using fans for ventilation (bath rooms/kitchens) only run them while absolutely necessary and for a short time afterwards. They are surpris ingly big draws on energy. Clean your fans regularly every few months. Dirty, clogged appliances have to work harder and therefor use more energy.

Wash clothes in cold water. Many detergents are designed to work best in cold water. Read the instructions on the box.

Lower the tempera ture of your drying cycle and if you can get a machine with moisture/humidity sensors then you’ll save in the long term as they will stop automatically once the clothes are dry. If your dryer runs on a timer, check the clothing a few times throughout the cycle as they may well be dry before time.

Make the most of natural lighting where and when possible. Even the intro duction of mirrors into spaces can help reflect and increase the light without the need for additional light sources. Get focused with task lighting rather than illuminating entire rooms unnecessarily. Use LED lighting where possible and you could save up to 80% on your lighting costs alone.

If you can, position your fridge away from other appliances that may generate external heat such as the oven, dryer or dishwasher. It will have to work harder to stay cool if too close to these.

Don’t put warm food in the fridge as it will have to work harder to maintain it’s correct tempera ture, and for similar reasons, keep the fridge door closed as much as possible. If it’s kept open for a long time it will have to work much harder to get the inter nal temperature back down again.

Surpris ingly, us ing a dish washer is more ener gy-efficient than handwashing the dishes. It’s due to the difference in the amount of energy required to heat water for handwashing vs that used by the dishwasher. Depending on the size of your household, pick an appropri ately sized dishwasher.

When cooking or reheating food from the fridge, take it out 20-30 minutes before hand so you will then require less energy to heat them to their desired temperature.

Let your dishes air dry. Turn off the dish washer after the rinse cycle and let the contents dry natu rally over a couple of hours or overnight, and as with a washing machine, only run full loads in your dishwasher.

Opt for the microwave over the conven tional oven if and when possible. The time required for a microwave to heat food can be up to four or five times less than that required for an ordinary oven.

Lower the tem perature of your shower and refrain from long, unneces sary showers. Get in, get clean and get out!

Cover all food in the fridge. Open food and drinks increase the moisture levels inside the appliance and so the condenser will have to work harder and so use more energy.

When heating water, either in the kettle or on the cooker, only ever heat what you need at the time, no more.

cent counts when it comes to saving on energy costs and the trick is to look at the

long-term bigger picture. A few cents saved now might seem like nothing much, but over the course of a year or longer small changes can make big differences to your bills

… and live a little greener

Use lids on pots and pans to keep the heat in and so your food will cook more efficiently. Turn off the oven or cooker ring/burner a little before time and allow the food to sit for a while (especially when boiling or steaming) as the heat already built up will continue to cook the food. If you can afford them upfront, copper pots are highly efficient and will save you money in the long run.

Heat the person, not the room. Where ap propriate, rather than turning up the heat ing, add a layer of clothing. This applies to your bed also. Rather than heating up the room or turning on an electric blanket, simply add an extra blanket or duvet.

Keeping curtains closed during the day in un used rooms will help keep heat in the house. This applies in reverse during the summer when curtains help keep the house cool.

Portable space heat ers should never be used to heat large areas, and certainly not for a long time. They are best em ployed to give an injection of heat to a small area.

Don’t overcharge devices. Keeping it plugged in un necessarily when it’s at full capacity serves little purpose and ultimately is damaging for the battery in the long term.

Smart plugs and tim ers can help to save energy by allowing you to remotely con trol appliances – e.g. turning heating on in the house as you commute home. Remem ber they too are consumers of electricity however.

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An oldie but a goldie … be sure to prop erly insulate your immersion tank.

Seal cracks and gaps around windows and doors to mini mise draughts and similarly add draught excluders to your doors where necessary.

Unload your car immediately after doing large shop ping trips. Ex tra weight mean extra fuel consumption. Be clever with regard to the number of trips you make. If you can do two jobs on one trip as op posed to making separate trips then you’ve likely saved energy, time and money.

GET YOUR LIGHTING RIGHT

Two 100-watt incandescent bulbs switched off for an extra two hours per day could save you €15 over a year. Better yet, switch to LED lights.

A single south-facing window can il luminate 20 to 100 times its area. Turning off one 60-watt bulb for four hours a day is a €9 saving over a year.

Task lighting – Turn off ceiling lights and use table lamps, track lighting and under-counter lights in work and hobby ar eas as well as in kitchens.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Hot water is expensive. If two people in your home cut their shower time by a minute each, you could save €30 over a year.

Reduce your overall hot water usage (shaving, brushing teeth, etc) by 5% to save up to €19. Fixing even the smallest drip or leak in your hot water tap can save up to €9 per year in energy costs.

ELECTRONICS AND APPLIANCES

Standby power accounts for approximately 10% of an average household’s annual electricity use. Unplug un used electronics and make a very real saving of €50 a year.

By recycling your desktop computer and switching to a laptop you could save €4 over a year.

Recycle or donate your old TV. Even if you’re just using it an hour a day, that 42-inch LCD is costing you €6 a year.

If you have electric heat, lowering your thermostat by one degree could save you 10% on your heating bill.

By switching from hot to cold water for an average of three loads per week, you could save up to €22 per year on your energy bill.

By cutting one load of wash ing per week, even if you’re already using cold water only, you could still save €13 a year.

If you do eight loads of laundry a week and use your clothesline for 50% of those clothes, you could save a whopping €65 a year.

If you have to use your dryer (let’s face it, it’s Ire land!) then aim for a ‘full’ load which in effect means that it’s that’s about three-quarters full. It’ll mean fewer loads over time and your dryer will work more efficiently.

Maintain clean, air-tight refrigerator door seals to keep the cold air in and warm air out. Not closing the door properly, ignoring damaged door seals or having some thing pushing against the door from the inside could reduce the efficiency of your fridge to the tune of €13 a year.

That heat-dry setting on your dishwasher is expen sive. De-select it and based on one load of dishes a day, save up to €27 for the year.

A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as putting something in a conventional oven for one hour. Use a microwave instead of your oven four times a week and save €13 per year.

www.moneydoctors.ie

If you look at any of these suggestions in isolation, then you could argue that the savings may not come to much, but cumulatively they amount to a not-insignificant €387 per year. Who wouldn’t like to have that in their back pocket at Christmas time, or as a deposit for a holiday or simply or squirreled away for the proverbial rainy day?

What Cork homeowners need to know before doing a home energy upgrade

By Bridget O' Sullivan

WHEN looking to make savings on the cost of heating and running your home, some simple steps can make a big difference.

However, when it comes to ensuring your home is warm, with a comfortable and constant temperature in every room, plenty of hot water any time you want, as well as being cost effective AND energy efficient, Insulex provides a One Stop Shop for complete Home Energy Upgrades, to ensure this is exactly the kind of home you enjoy.

Martin McCarthy and his team at Insulex, based in Ballinadee, Bandon offer complete energy upgrades to any home no matter how old.

‘We specialise in taking old, cold homes which can have a BER rating of F or even G and transforming them into warm, cosy energy efficient homes, with renewable energy systems.’ said Martin.

This can be done either with the One Stop Shop approach where a substantial number of energy upgrade measures are done all at once, or by doing one measure at a time, for example attic insulation or cavity wall insulation.

There are a variety of grants available for all measures, however, the One Stop Shop approach offers a wider range of grants and less disruption to homeowners as all the work happens at once.

As this approach involves doing a complete suite of works in order to qualify for the substantial grant, there is considerable cost involved, but grant values are deducted from the cost of works upfront to make this a more accessible option for homeowners.

If this is not a viable option for you right now, you can utilise alternative grants for individual measures and upgrade your home one measure at a time.

Insulex One Stop Shop offers a fully managed solution. ‘We manage

the entire process for you, from the initial Home Energy Assessment, right through to the final BER assessment’ said Martin.

‘We handle all the paperwork, organisation of contractors, assessments, and the complete grant application for you, so it makes upgrading your home hassle free.’

The first step in planning your home energy upgrade is to book a Home Energy Assessment.

The independent Home Energy Assessment (HEA) is necessary to determine the range of energy upgrades that are necessary to achieve specific results within your home.

Martin explained, ’this gives us a clear roadmap to work from. We are looking at key measures such as Insulation, Ventilation, Windows, Doors, Solar PV and of course Renewable Energy Heating Systems.

We then sit with the homeowner, go through all the possibilities outlined in the Home Energy Assessment and match suitable upgrade measures with the clients desires, expectations and budget.

There are very clear objectives and specific energy value improvements required by the SEAI to qualify for the One Stop Shop grant and if this is not achievable then we work with the client to develop an alternative plan and outline other relevant grant options available to deliver a warm, cosy and energy efficient home.

The most important thing for us is to prioritise what our clients want, look at what grants are available to them and then deliver a warm, energy efficient, cost-effective, future-proofed home.’ Martin concluded.

Insulex is currently one of 12 companies nationwide that are approved and registered with SEAI

as a One Stop Shop provider for complete Home Energy Upgrades. The SEAI continues to add more providers to increase market capacity.

Grants offered are provided by the Government of Ireland through the

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

To find out if your home qualifies for an energy upgrade grant or to book a Home Energy Assessment visit: www.insulex.ie

Future proofing your home

BY BRIAN MOORE

FUTURE proofing – the words we all must embrace if we are to prepare our homes for the continuing effects of climate change and of course the continuing uncertain economy.

It’s abundantly clear that by ensuring you have an energy-effi cient, warm, and as far as possible, a maintenance free home that this will not only save money but will help the planet as well.

CAVITY WALL INSULATION

Given the rising cost of oil, gas and coal, energy insulation is vital for all homeowners.

Many homes across West Cork are built using the cavity wall con struction method – that is an inner and outer wall with a gap, or cavity, in between.

This cavity is good at keeping out rain and damp but is not at all energy-efficient when it comes to keeping your home warm. This cavity can be filled with expanding foam beads which are pumped into the gap, forming an insulated barrier.

INTERNAL WALL INSULATION

Internal wall insulation can improve your home’s thermal ef ficiency, reduce your heating bills and can be one of the only options for certain homes – for example solid wall homes made from solid stone or brick.

Internal wall insulation involves the application of insulation to the interior face of external walls to improve the thermal perfor mance of the property.

There are four main methods of installation — the most common (but not always the most effective) is building a new stud wall, to which insulation can be added.

Internal wall insulation can, however, be disruptive and require the removal and re-fixing of items such as switches, radiators, and kitchen units, so you need to be sure it is the best insulation solution for your home.

EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION

This is the method that is the most efficient, when in addition to upgraded windows and external doors, to ensure a highly energyefficient home.

External insulation involves fixing insulation materials such as mineral wool or expanded polystyrene slabs to the outer surface of the wall. The insulation is then covered with a special render to provide weather resistance. A steel or fibreglass mesh is embed ded in this render to provide strength and impact resistance. Although external insulation is an expensive solution, it can also resolve other issues, such as rain penetration, poor airtightness and frost damage, provided the product used is NSAI Agreement

certified. This is also an excellent opportunity to give your home a new look, subject to local planning laws.

ENERGY-EFFICIENT WINDOWS AND DOORS

Around 20% of heat escaping from a home is lost through its win dows and doors. Now, buying replacement windows and doors, in conjunction with external or internal insulation for your home is a big investment, so it is vital to get it right.

Energy-efficient windows with double – or even triple glazing –will not only fill your home with natural light but keep your home secure and warm for years and years to come.

ATTIC INSULATION

On average, a home loses 20-30% of its heat through its roof if it is not properly insulated. This loss of heat not only costs money in the form of higher heating bills, but it also harms the environ ment by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Attic/Rafter insulation, using semi-rigid insulation boards as well as glass/mineral fibre, is generally the most cost effective of any upgrade made to a house, considering the potential cost savings that can be achieved on the monthly heating bills.

Heat pump systems

Replacing a conventional heating system with a heat pump system, particularly in a well-insulated home, can transform the comfort levels in the home while reducing running costs, energy usage and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the heat pump system can eliminate oil and gas bills from the home. You can choose either an air, ground or water heat pump system and while many people choose air source heat pump systems as they need relatively little space, if you have a large garden or are near a water source you can install a ground source or water source heat pump.

Heat pump systems will heat radiators to a lower temperature than con ventional boiler systems, which works well when the home is well insulated and can supply most of the hot water needed for baths, showers and sinks.

SOLAR ENERGY

Energy from the sun is free, you just need to har ness the power and that’s

where, even in Ireland, solar panels can save you up to 80% on your energy bills.

When sunlight hits the solar panels, electronic flow is activated in individual solar panels. The resulting electric current is referred to as direct current (DC). The electricity used to power essential electronic components such as the charging of electric vehicles, lighting of houses, and powering computing and entertainment systems, is usually in alternating current form (AC).

Once electricity has been generated by the solar panels, it flows via inverters and is converted into AC power. After conversion, electricity flows to either electric loads or power meters which measure the amount of power generated, depending on the type of inverter fitted.

The energy generated can either be used to power appliances directly, stored in batteries, or sent back to the power grid for dis tribution into other places.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

However, the cost of retrofitting our homes and businesses can be a major stumbling block for many.

There are, however, several government-aided grant schemes in place, aimed at giving homeowners extra support that will allow a more environmental and economical approach to living and working.

HOME RETROFITTING

Now is the time to ensure that your home is fit for purpose when it comes to energy-efficiency for the future. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has several fully funded and partially funded grants available that are designed to ensure that homes are not only energy-efficient but financially efficient as well. The Free Home Energy Upgrade Service covers the full cost for qualifying homes that were built prior to 2006. This covers up grading insulation and heating controls including attic insulation, cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation. Internal wall insulation, secondary work such as lagging jackets, draught proofing, and energy efficient lighting as well as new heating systems and windows are also covered by this grant.

COMPLETE HOME ENERGY UPGRADE SOLU TION

This is the one stop shop for everything you need and is a partfunded SEAI grant where approximately a third of the cost for a typical family home is available. This grant works for all the ser vices required for a complete home energy upgrade and with ap proved suppliers provides fully managed solutions, a wider range of grants and the grants available are deducted from the cost of works upfront.

INDIVIDUAL ENERGY UPGRADE GRANTS

These are a selection of individual grants for home energy up grades with up to one third of the cost for a family home available from SEAI. Some homeowners choose to manage their own home energy upgrades. This option is suitable for homeowners and landlords who want to manage their own energy upgrades. These grants are designed to allow homeowners to fully retro fit their homes or just tackle one option such as attic or wall insula tion for example.

For more details and a complete breakdown of the grants avail able to homeowners log on to seai.ie. If you are interested in, upgrading an element or all of your home, increasing comfort levels while reducing your running costs and CO2 footprint, you could be eligible for Sustainable Energy Authority of Irelands (SEAI) Single or Multiple measure schemes !!

If you are interested in upgrading an element or all of your home, increasing comfort levels while reducing your running costs and CO2 footprint, you could be eligible for Sustainable Energy Authority of Irelands (SEAI) Single or Multiple measure schemes !!

F FREE Webinars / Seminars

FREE Webinars / Seminars

To help the homeowner learn about their home energy upgrade options, the benefits, costs, grants and the upgrade process we run weekly webinars and monthly seminars

To help the homeowner learn about their home energy upgrade options, the benefits, costs, grants and the upgrade process we run weekly webinars and monthly seminars

Ashgrove Renewables has over 2 decades of experience delivering high quality energy solutions to homeowners We are authorised SEAI contractors & specialise in the co ordination and delivery of Stress Free Home Energy Upgrades

Ashgrove Renewables has over 2 decades of experience delivering high quality energy solutions to homeowners We are authorised SEAI contractors & specialise in the co ordination and delivery of Stress Free Home Energy Upgrades

Roofing Carpenters wanted f or f itting Solar PV

R Roofing Carpenters wanted f or f itting Solar PV

Training will be provided

Training will be provided

Enquiries to admin@ashgrove eu

Enquiries to admin@ashgrove eu to find out more!

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with responsibility for the Circular Econo my and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD, recently announced a call for applications for the 2022 funding round of the Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme (CEIGS).

This €650,000 grant scheme supports innovation and circular economy projects by social enterprises, voluntary and community organisations, and businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Up to €100,000 is available for individual projects that demonstrate exceptional impact.

The CEIGS was established by Minister Smyth in April 2021, with applications received that year covering a wide range of circular economy themes including food waste, plastics, singleuse plastics, packaging, construction, textiles and general waste.

So what exactly is a circular economy?

The term ‘circular economy’ means keeping our stuff in cir culation for as long as possible by repairing and reusing; by sharing and swapping. Through the campaign, the Govern ment is taking steps to encourage all of us to embrace circular living.

The circular economy is not a new idea; in fact many circu lar activities are already commonplace. However, achieving the full benefits requires more than action at individual level; it requires the right mix of Government policy and regula tion, new business models and new systems of production. It also requires education and awareness, which is where the campaign will play a key role.

Find out more at: www.gov.ie.circulareconomy.

Ultimately, some €490,000 in CEIGS funding was awarded to 10 applicants under the 2021 funding round.

This year-on-year increase is in line with the commitment in the Circular Economy Strategy 2022-2023 to increase CEIGS funding each year to 2024.

Minister Smyth acknowledged the important role played by the grant scheme, saying:

‘I am delighted to be able announce the second call for the Cir cular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme 2022. If our economy is to become truly circular, change at every level of our society is required. The CEIGS 2022 will continue to support communities to transition to a more sustainable future, with a focus on reduc ing and eliminating waste and keeping resources in use for as long as possible.’

Applications for funding could focus on the thematic areas which relate to priorities for the circular economy in Ireland, namely:

• Plastics

• Construction and demolition waste

• Food waste

• Resources and raw materials (electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, furniture).

Full details on the application process for the Circular Econ omy Innovation Grant Scheme are available on www.gov.ie and applications are open until 30th November 2022.

• For more information, please visit: gov.ie – Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme (CEIGS) (www.gov.ie).

The 12 steps to reducing emissions on farms The 12 steps to reducing emissions on farms

THERE has been much talk about the 25% reduction in green house gas (GHG) emissions needed from agriculture by 2030. And there has been much commentary about the fact that we don’t have a plan to achieve this target. But the reality is that we do have a plan and that plan is the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve or MACC as it is commonly referred to as. The MACC sets out the actions that farmers can take to reduce emissions on farm.

SO WHAT ARE THESE ACTIONS?

To simplify the MACC curve, the Signpost Programme has developed the 12 steps poster to reducing emissions on all farms (Figure 1. Dairy 12 steps).

There are 5 of these posters available – dairy, suckler beef, dairy beef, tillage and sheep. Each setting out the main actions that farmers can take to reduce emissions.

It starts at the bottom with using protected urea and then there are a series of steps with incorporating clover as step 12.

STEP 1. USE PROTECTED UREA

Protected urea has 70% lower nitrous oxide emissions (one of the main greenhouse gases) than CAN and lower ammonia emis sions than straight urea.

STEP. 2 APPLY LIME

Applying lime will correct soil pH issues and increase the avail ability of nitrogen by up to 80 kg / ha. This reduces chemical N use and consequently reduces emissions.

STEP 3. CORRECT SOIL P & K

Ensuring soil is at index 3 for P & K helps to improve the effi

ciency with which N is used which will reduce chemical N use and consequently reduce emissions

STEP 4. USE LESS

Using LESS will increase the availability of N in slurry, allow ing farmers to reduce chemical N use and consequently reduces GHG emissions. It will also reduce ammonia emissions.

STEP

5. REDUCE CHEMICAL N USE

Nitrous oxide is one of our main greenhouse gases and it comes primarily from nitrogen fertiliser and slurry, reducing chemical N use reduces nitrous oxide and total GHG emissions.

STEP

6. BETTER GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Increased days at grass increased efficiency, less methane emissions than on a silage diet, also less slurry storage and spreading leading to less GHG emissions.

STEP

7. IMPROVED HEALTH

Healthier animals are more efficient and more productive e.g. 50 healthy cows will produce more milk than 50 cows challenged by disease, therefore the emissions per kg of milk produced by the 50 healthy cows will be lower.

STEP

8. IMPROVED EBI

Improving EBI results in better fertility, reducing GHG emis sions from non-milk producing animals and improved efficiency. Improving EBI of the herd by €10 reduces carbon footprint by 1%.

STEP 9. INCREASED MILK SOLIDS

Farmer X sold 530kg milk solids per cow to his co-op in 2021.

The average supplier to that co-op last year sold 437kg milk solids per cow.

When you do the simple calculation, this means that Farmer X needed 26 cows less than the average co-op supplier to produce the same amount of milk solids. That’s a lot of cows producing a lot of extra emissions and costing more to keep for the average supplier.

STEP 10. REDUCE AGE AT 1ST CALVING

If you calve heifers at 30 months rather than 24 months, that’s an additional 6 months that those animals are unproductive in the herd.

Six months of methane emissions and all the other emissions that go with keeping an animal for an extra 6 months (fertiliser use, slurry storage & spreading, energy etc.)

STEP 11. FINISH CATTLE EARLIER

An animal finished at 24 months will have substantially less methane belched out than an animal finished at 30 months but also less of all the other emissions that go with keeping an animal for an extra 6 months (fertiliser use, slurry storage & spreading, energy etc.)

STEP 12. INCORPORATE CLOVER

Incorporating clover allows farmers to reduce the quantity of chemical nitrogen that needs to be used. Reducing chemical nitrogen use will reduce the quantity of nitrous oxide produced, which is one of the main greenhouse gases.

To get the 12 steps for your enterprise, please contact your lo cal Teagasc office.

BY BRIAN MOORE

ONE West Cork company is proving that you don’t have to break the bank, or the environment, when it comes to providing your home with light and heat.

Solar Solutions

At the Schull based company, Grian52, their mission is to provide home owners with the best possible solution when it comes to harvesting the abundant energy of the Sun.

‘Supplying our homes with energy is be coming more and more expensive and while alternative energy sources are now super-ef ficient there is the perception that installa tions costs are too high,’ Owen Tango of Grian52 said.

‘At Grian52 our overall focus is to provide residential solar electric energy systems (PV) to help West Cork homeowners tackle their rising electricity bills.’

Owen and his team will design the most efficient solar energy system for each cus tomer before recommending the number of solar panels they need.

‘Firstly, we see how much energy the home is using and then we design a system to meet this demand,’ Owen said.

Grian52 will aim to install solar photovol taic (PV) panels and a battery bank system to meet 100% of the electrical energy required by the customer’s home.

‘Our system include hybrid inverters -where excess electricity can be used to heat water directly rather than sending to the grid) as well as state of the art batteries to allow you store and reuse directly any extra power you generate,’ Owen said.

‘Essentially our customers are pre buying 25 to 30 years’ worth of electricity and with Grian52’s prices, most of our customers will have paid off their solar systems cost by the time they’d have spent three or four years of bills to a power company.’

Owen and his team can also provide homeowners with mini heat pumps or with space heating that will eliminate the cost of heating water and providing the home with

constant hot water.

‘Generally a PV system we would design and supply to meet a typical home’s annual electricity need (not including heat or hot water) would be priced at €14,000 after grant (plus VAT). So for €14,000 (+ VAT) you can buy 30 years’ worth of electricity. Now, that’s taking control of your bills,’ Owen said. ‘And of course for a holiday home or smaller house, the costs would be a fraction of that.’

While, for many the set-up cost of install ing the latest solar technologies at home, even if the energy savings are obvious the moment these systems are in place, has been out of reach, but now the latest government home energy grants through Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEAI) promise to give many more homeowners the opportu nity to install the latest tech. These grants with SEAI are deducted upfront from the cost of any works at the home.

Of course Grian52 can also provide bigger systems to famers and local shops, hotels and factories using TAMs and Exceed grants.

‘The alternative is to remain vulnerable to erratic electricity prices out there on the market and we can install of Solar PV systems in about six to eight weeks from the date you order,’ Owen said.

‘And we have financing available for all of products and systems where the prices can be spread over three to five years.’

Grian52 also offer another product that is designed to provide an alternative option to those planning to build a new structure or dwelling on their property.

Pods and Modular Space

‘We also import prefabricated fast build pods, garden rooms, mini houses and actual full-sized homes,’ Owen said.

‘Given the current pressure on construc tion we are delighted to be able to offer our customers solutions where very good quality homes can be sourced and erected in West Cork within three months from plac ing the order to moving in.’

‘Of course we can combine these dwell

ing units with our renewable products to offer plug and play (off grid) homes that require no connection to utilities and we have solutions to wastewater too.’

‘We’ve partnered with Kilcoe Sawmills to try to find solutions to the housing crisis. Our show pod is actually at their premises overlooking Roaringwater Bay and we’ll be holding open days there every Satur day at noon from now till mid-December. We’ll give tours, explain the details of the construction and offer special prices to all visitors’ Owen said.

For more information contact Owen and his team at sales@grian52.ie

Calls to reduce hoarding of electrical waste

HEADPHONES and remote controls are among the most hoarded waste electrical and electronic items in Europe, new data revealed recently. Old and broken clocks, irons, hard drives and routers also make up the mountain of e-waste lying in our cupboards, attics and garden sheds. As a result, Ireland’s WEEE recycling leaders are urging consumers here to root out unused, stashed electrical items.

The grim figures show that of 16 billion mobile phones world wide, 5.3 billion will become waste in 2022 – and stacked flat on top of each other, would stretch to 50,000km. This year alone, the world will produce 24.5 million tonnes of small e-waste – four times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

‘Despite containing rare precious metals and other recyclable components, a large volume of small appliances are hoarded in drawers, wardrobes, cupboards and garages or worse still, are discarded in rubbish bins bound for landfill or incineration,’ said Leo Donovan, CEO of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equip ment (WEEE) Ireland.

‘This is an incredible waste of resources, is bad for the planet and prevents us from either re-using these items or harvesting these important and scarce resources so they can be used again to manufacture new products. We would therefore urge the public to drop their e-waste to authorised collections points in their local electrical retailer or recycling centre.’

The number one reason for hoarding end-of-life phones and other e-waste products is ‘I might use it again’ cited by 46% of consumers, followed by ‘I plan on selling it or giving it away’ (15%) and ‘It has sentimental value’ (13%).The data compiled by the WEEE Forum, reveals that the top five hoarded electrical and electronic products in Europe are:

• Small consumer electronics and accessories such as headphones, remote controls

• Household equipment such as clocks, irons

• Small IT equipment including external hard drives, routers, keyboards, mice

• Mobile and smartphones

• Food preparation equipment – toasters, food processing, grills.

Of 8,775 European households surveyed in six countries, the average household contains 74 e-products such as phones, tab lets, laptops, electric tools, hair dryers, toasters and other appli ances. Thirteen of these, nine of which are in working order, are being hoarded.

Separate research by WEEE Ireland this year shows just six in 10 who purchased an electrical item said they recycled their old one. However, consumers in Ireland still recycled a record 18.7 million waste electrical items last year – including 127,000 fridg es, 205,000 TVs and monitors and over 2.3 million lightbulbs in a total takeback of 38,464 tonnes.

‘We focused this year on small e-waste items because it is very easy for them to accumulate unused and unnoticed in house holds, or to be tossed into the ordinary garbage bin,’ said Pascal Leroy, Director General of the WEEE Forum. ‘People tend not to realise that all these seemingly insignificant items have a lot of value, and together at a global level represent massive volumes.’

‘The producer responsibility organisations in the WEEE Fo rum that manage the collection of e-waste are constantly working to make the proper disposal of small e-waste simple and con venient for users and households. Providing collection boxes in supermarkets, pick up of small broken appliances upon delivery of new ones and offering PO boxes to return small e-waste are just some of the initiatives introduced to encourage the return of these items.’

The WEEE Forum is a Brussels-based for-impact, not-forprofit international association representing 46 producer responsibility organisations on all continents, across the globe. Together with its members, it is at the forefront of turning the Extended Producer Responsibility principle into an effective elec tronic waste management policy approach through combined knowledge of the technical, business and operational aspects of collection, logistics, de-pollution, processing, preparing for reuse and reporting of e-waste. It is the biggest organisation of its kind in the world.

WEEE Ireland works with indigenous recycling facilities certi fied to high-quality standards to recover secondary resources

from e-waste taken back by the public through a network of free collection points across the country.

• See weeeireland.ie for a map of free recycling drop-off points for WEEE beyond repair or reuse.

WEEE Ireland CEO, Leo Donovan, is urging consumers here to root out unused electrical items and to drop them to au thorised collections points in their local electrical retailer or recycling centre.

(Photo: Conor McCabe Photography)

Green Technology

by Paula Burns

THE future of green technology is bright. As we scramble to reduce our carbon footprint to not only help the planet but to also help save a few quid in the midst of a cost of liv ing crisis, technology could be our saviour.

AT HOME:

Smart bulbs

Over the years we have moved away from the energy draining incandescent and florescent bulbs, making LED bulbs the light of our lives. Innovative tech has turned toward internet-enabled LED bulbs, meaning you can configure and control your lighting remotely through an app. Thanks to motion sensors you won’t have to follow the kids around turning lights off after them. Instead the motion sensors will automatically turn off the light when the room is unoccupied – saving energy and arguments. As the threat of blackouts hang in the air these charge able bulbs will last five to six hours in a power cut, letting you keep that fancy candle for a special occasion.

Smart meters

Smart meters are the future for sustainable homes. A smart meter essentially reads your energy use in real time. It eliminates the need for meter readings by provid ing your energy provider your daily usage of electricity. This ensures precise bills ending any estimated bills. A smart meter tracks not just how much electricity you use but also when, giving you more control. In the future this technology is set to get better with smart meters be ing connected to the national grid. From this the smart meter can read what times are best to use renewable energy, making them more sustainable.

Integrated radiators

If you love underfloor heating then get ready for fully integrated heating systems in the home. Again eliminating the need for ugly radiators, integrated heating could be embedded within the structure of the house. This would create a better flow of heat, as it is embedded in walls, floors and around windows for added efficiency. All new builds could include integrated heating, rais ing the game when it comes to BER ratings.

Fully automated home

The automation of our homes this is set to excel in the coming years. Imagine solar panels being replaced by roof tiles with solar technology embedded in them. This will effectively capture and store energy to power your home. While you’re saving energy with solar roof tiles, having all of your appliances fully automated will not only reduce your carbon footprint, it will ultimately make your life easier. Who wouldn’t want a voice control shower that is set to the temperature you like, or not hav ing to worry about turning off large appliances as they will automatically power down when not in use. A fully automated home essentially turns off all the switches so you don’t have to.

TRANSPORT:

Hyperloop

Need to get somewhere as fast as the speed of sound? Then Hy perloop has you covered. Originally the brainchild of Robert H. Goddard in 1904, Elon Musk began to toy with the concept again in 2012. Since then, companies such as Virgin have spent the last decade working on making high speed travel a reality. Musk’s original concept promised a completely self-powered mode of transport that is twice as fast as a plane and cheaper than a bullet train. While we won’t be travelling in this science fiction type vac uum train any time soon, Virgin are currently testing for freight after abandoning its trials for human transportation.

Hydrogen fuel cars

We all know the future of cars is not with petrol or diesel. We’re told electric cars are the way forward but what about hydrogen fuel? When it comes to the long-haul trucking industry, hydrogen fuel looks to be the best option. With long distances, unpredictable routes and strict driv ing-time regulations, battery operated trucks aren’t very feasible. As a result hydrogen-powered fuel and hydrogen combustion are an attractive alternative. When it comes to the domestic motor industry, car manufacturers are still finetuning the concept. However, hydrogen cars are not expected to replace electric cars, instead they are intended to work together. The advantage of this is less time powering your car at a charging point and instead refilling at a hydrogen station much like a petrol station.

Drone delivery

Humans tend to have a love/hate relationship with drones. At first the high-flying, high-tech bird in the sky seemed exciting. Then the reality of Joe the bird watcher from down the road be ing able to film us in the back garden without our consent became less attractive. However, they do have their uses, with Amazon being a big fan. Not content with next-day delivery, Amazon is currently working on fully electric drones to deliver packages that weigh less than 5Ibs, to customers in less than an hour. They also have the tech to avoid pets, people and other flying objects to avoid any inflight disasters.

Get kids recycling

by Paula Burns

AS the climate crisis continues to ignite we are all looking for ways to make a difference. The younger generation is the key to making the future better. Giving them the knowledge and tools to be more sustainable day to day is the greatest gift we can give and it can be a bit of fun too.

Lead by example

We all know that kids are like sponges, absorbing every little detail around them, watching us like a hawk. Whether we like it or not our habits can become their habits too, so this is where leading by example is of the upmost importance. Show them that you are also committed to recycling. That slip of an egg carton going into the general waste won’t go unnoticed. Doing what you preach will prevent you hearing the words; “Well you don’t do it so why should I!”

Let the outdoors in

The harsh reality of the effect of our waste on the environment can be a difficult one to take for adults, let alone kids. While we don’t want to terrify them, as parents there is a responsibility to teach them. Start slowly by showing instead of just telling. Get them out into nature and the outdoors. Give them the opportunity to fall in love with nature and to appreciate the miracles around us, from bird life to insects to the trees in the forest. If they appreciate the world around them they will in turn want to protect it. You can then slowly explain what effects simple things like wasting paper or using too many plastics can have on the environment and give them the knowledge of how they can change their ways for the greater good.

Composting

Composting is the perfect side-gig to getting the kids en joying nature again. If garden ing is your forte or you’re just getting started, a compost bin is a must. This is a great way to teach kids in a hands-on manner, how nature can recycle itself to produce something beautiful. Who knew our food scraps could be trans formed into a stunning, fruitful garden? You can make it even more fun by adding a few crit ters to the mix. Worm farms are becoming more popular and are a fun way to get the kids involved. The worms eat and digest our food scraps, in turn producing the perfect poop that is super rich in nutrients making it an excel lent fertilizer for a budding garden.

Make it fun

Kids are innately joyous little humans that love a good game. If you can make recycling fun then that is half the battle. You could make an arts and crafts day out of it by allowing them to decorate the different bins with some of the recy clables. Reusing and up-cycling is all a part of creating zero waste. Alter natively you could give them a cou ple of boxes of different materials getting them to think for themselves what can be recycled. Having fun while learning will benefit them in the future and will allow the process of recycling become second nature to them.

Separate recycling bins for crafts

This can kill two problems with one hit. It can help to show kids how everyday things can have multiple uses and it can get them off the screens. Better for them to be creative and use their imagination. Have a separate bin for things like toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes, milk cartons and egg cartons. These can all be used in fun projects to make jewellery boxes or robots or even drums. Knowing they can make something will spur them on to fill up those bins.

Reward system

Many parents will already have some sort of reward sys tem going to make home life easier. This often derives from the gold star system used in the classroom. If you already have one in place for chores like filling the dishwasher or cleaning their rooms you can add recycling to the mix. If you have couple of kids you could give them each a recycling bin and have a competition to see who has the most correct things in their bin by the end of the week. A little sibling rivalry never goes amiss.

Second-hand shops

Turning the tide on fast fashion is a must in terms of saving the planet. Shopping in charity shops and second-hand stores is sustainable and frugal. Normalise this way of shopping instead of making fast fashion the first port of call. If your kids grow-up going to second-hand shops, finding real gems and bargains and being proud of their finds they will continue this through to adult hood. As we become more aware of the impact of fast fashion, being sustainable is the newest trend, thankfully taking away the stigma of buying second-hand.

Bantry Greenify Homeowners