Hannah McNulty | August 2022
Now, more than ever, it’s important to make sustainable changes that will have a positive impact on the environment. This can be done in a number of ways, including considing how energy-efficient your home is. Having an energy-efficient home wastes fewer resources, reduces your carbon footprint and can even save you money!
We surveyed* the people of Ireland about their sustainable actions and intentions, finding out how and why they have chosen to live sustainably.
When asked what upgrades participants have already made to their homes, by far the most popular upgrades were increased insulation and installing tripple glazed windows. This was followed by solar panels, with nearly 1 in 5 households stating they have installed them.
Generationally, Millenials are most likely to live in homes with sustainable upgrades as they have bought or moved into new builds. Among this age group, air to water heating systems have been the most popular upgrade.
When we look at respondants future intentions to make sustainable upgrades, increasing insulation and installing solar panels remain the most popular upgrades. Millenials intentions reveal that they are opting for renewable energy upgrades, with suprisingly, wind turbines selected as the most popular upgrade, followed by air to water pumps.
Irish home owners view cost as their main decision driver. The main reason encouraging upgrades or intended upgrades is to reduce energy costs. However, high installation costs are also the main concern particulally among older generations. If you are considering upgrading your home, the SEAI privides grants to help ease the pressure on your pocket.SAI
Another concern we found was regarding home insurance cover and premium increases. In fact, 25% of participant’s were concerned that their home insurance premiums would increase due to upgrades or the upgrades would not be fully covered under their home insurance policy. At Allianz, we recognise that our customers are making substainable ugrades to their home which is why we cover solar panels, air to water pumps, and electric vehicle wall chargers as standard under the sums insured you have selected for your premises – so no extra costs are involved!
If you are considering making sustainable upgrades to your home, the SEAI provides a “one stop shop,” where they assign you an assessor to survey your home and reccomend upgrades, they will also supply a contractor and a BER assessor, plus they will manage the project for you! They also have a guide of registered professionsals for maintenance of these upgrades.
For more tips on how to make your home energy efficient, read our blog post here. Even small changes can make a big difference to your home’s energy consumption.
*Coyne Research conducted the research from 5th to 20th April 2022 across a nationally representative base of 1,000 respondents.
Allianz p.l.c. is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland. Standard acceptance criteria and policy conditions apply.
Information correct as of date of publishing. This blog will not be updated or edited so the information may become outdated.