What is energy efficiency?
Energy Efficiency refers to the reduction of energy consumption on the basis of technological and economic changes and changes in behaviour, through which the same or a higher standard or degree of comfort is assured.
What is Better Energy?
Put simply, Better Energy is a programme designed to ensure that there are more opportunities for householders and businesses to reduce their energy consumption leading to real and lasting cost savings.
Better Energy builds upon what was good about the existing grant schemes and adds a role for energy suppliers, a transition to an upfront discount rather than a retrospective grant and a national pay-as-you-save scheme.
Better Energy replaces the three existing programme: Home Energy Saving Scheme (HES), Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) and Greener Homes Scheme (GHS), under one umbrella.
What benefits will the changes bring?
The extra money given to the programme will support an additional 2,000 jobs in 2011, and deliver an extra 20,000 home upgrades. The €30M will leverage at least another €30M in private investment, and bring total energy savings worth €200M over their lifetime.
Better Energy is a major step forward as it brings all energy companies in as partners. All sellers of energy (over a minimum size) will be involved: ESB, Bord Gais, Airtricity, to oil companies and solid fuel suppliers. These companies will now have formal targets to deliver energy efficiency upgrades, the size of their target being linked to their share of the market.
Fuel Poverty - what does it mean?
Fuel poverty arises when a householder is unable to adequately heat or light their home owing to a number of factors, including low income and energy inefficient housing. Quantitatively, a fuel poor household is often defined as one needing to spend in excess of 10% of the household income on fuel to achieve a satisfactory level of heating. The consequences of fuel poverty for households affected, in addition to poor comfort, can include poor health, increased debt and a decline in the physical state of their home.