Building Services News l July/August 2019

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Energy Saving Credits and Grant Application Assistance

Heat pump grants made easy Heat Merchants recently announced that it can now process Energy Saving Credits for installers of Panasonic air to water heat pumps. This will enable installers to claim up to F713 in credit when they install a heat pump with controls into a home built before 2011. The Heat Merchants Energy Saving Credit Scheme also facilitates installer claims for upgrades to oil and gas boilers and heating controls, and also for power flushing of heating systems. In order to claim the credit, the property needs to be approved under the SEAI Better Energy Homes Scheme under which the homeowner can avail of grant assistance to the value of F3,500. In order to assist installers with the grant application process, Heat Merchants’ Technical Design team will provide a full heating system design and specification to meet the requirements. It will also complete all the technical information and calculations on the designer/installer tab on the SEAI file for the grant application. This can then be signed off by the contractor. To find out more contact your local Heat Merchants branch or email enquiries@heatmerchants.ie

Heat Merchants low carbon pledge In 2018 Heat Merchants Group signed up to the Business in the Community Ireland Low Carbon Pledge together with 46 other companies. Subsequently, the first Low Carbon Report was published in June recording the progress to date, and confirming that the commitment to reduce direct carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 is on track to meet its targets. As a signatory to the Low Carbon Pledge, Heat Merchants Group has already delivered significant measures to reduce emissions by a number of major initiatives. These include the following: • Installed 470 solar photovoltaic panels at its Athlone headquarters to generate

Aerial shot of the roof of the Heatmerchants offices and warehouse in Athlone as the solar PV install was being completed last December.

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150kWp of electricity each year which will meet 85% of the demand on site, and prevent approximately 80,000kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the environment; • All light fittings in the Group’s 45 locations nationwide were replaced with energy efficient LED lighting. This will achieve savings of approximately 667,000kWh per annum or 447,000kg of carbon dioxide; • Four diesel fork lifts will be replaced with four new high-efficiency forklifts which will utilise most of the 3.75MWH of surplus power which is currently being generated by the PV system. This will deliver an estimated CO2 saving of 67,480kg per annum; • In 2020 the company will begin to introduce electric cars into the fleet and will install electric vehicle charge points at all branches. This comes with the intention to change all the cars in fleet to electric vehicles over the next four years. The company will continue to implement measures as part of its Low Carbon Pledge to do its part in the transition to a low carbon economy. Information evening Heat Merchants will host an information event on the retrofit of heat pumps and the SEAI grant application process in Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork, on 22 August 2019. Heat Merchants personnel will outline the technical design services available to installers, and the support and guidance the team can provide to installers in the grant application process. Speakers from SEAI will outline the technical requirements for the grant, the market potential for installers, and how installers can register with SEAI to carry out retrofit installations. Installers can also sign up for free installer training on Panasonic air to water heat pumps at the Heat Merchants Cork Branch in Pouladuff. Contact: Heat Merchants. Tel: 090 – 642 4000; email: enquiries@heatmerchants.ie; www.heatmerchants.ie Q

31/07/2019 15:26