ESRI Research Bulletin

Householders' views on the best energy efficiency retrofit incentive mechanisms

ESRI Research Bulletin Articles provide short summaries of work published by ESRI researchers and overviews of thematic areas covered by ESRI programmes of research. Bulletin Articles are designed to be easily accessible to a wide readership. A reference or references to the full publication is included at the start of each Bulletin article.

July 6, 2018
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Homes (BEH) grant scheme for energy efficiency retrofits of residential properties. Grants are available for a variety of energy efficiency measures (e.g. insulation, heating controls, etc.) with the grant aid covering approximately 35% of the cost of eligible measures.  The grant scheme is administered as a ‘cash back’ payment once retrofit work is verified as completed to an approved standard.  This research investigates whether other types of subsidy support (e.g. upfront discounts, tax credits, etc.) might be more attractive to households and encourage greater investment in residential energy efficiency.