Electric Ireland Superhomes: A retrofit one stop shop for AHBs and local authorities

Electric Ireland Superhomes is a joint venture between Tipperary Energy Agency and ESB (Electric Ireland) established in 2021. We are an SEAI registered one stop shop looking after all the key stages of a home energy retrofit, from design, contractor selection, project completion and management of SEAI grant funding to bring houses and apartments to a minimum of a B2 BER standard.

Electric Ireland Superhomes’ vision is ‘to empower our customers to achieve warmer, healthier, low-carbon homes with a renewable energy focused approach’. We are currently on track to achieve our target of retrofitting 35,000 homes by 2030.

Electric Ireland Superhomes delivers retrofit solutions with the support of a multi-disciplined staff of over 40 people comprising of retrofit advisors, energy engineers, surveyors, and BER assessors. We now have a dedicated team that specifically focuses on the multiples sector including housing owned and managed by local authorities, approved housing bodies, and non-corporate landlords. This team is led by Mike O’Rourke, who has over 28 years’ experience in building services engineering, with the last six years in the housing retrofit sector, and supported by Richard Vaughan, an architect with over 15 years’ experience in social housing with an Approved Housing Body.

In 2022, Electric Ireland Superhomes was involved in the retrofit of 120 homes for Tipperary County Council, all achieving a B1 or B2 rating and this year we are working with several local authorities helping to achieve their targets as part of the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. Electric Ireland Superhomes can provide a range of services to local authorities to meet their needs from a full energy retrofit consultancy service to the provision of services expected under the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme.

For approved housing bodies and non-corporate landlords, Electric Ireland Superhomes can provide a full one stop shop service that can avail of the SEAI grants for houses that were built and occupied before 2011 and have an existing BER of B3 or lower. SEAI grant supported retrofit measures include insulation upgrades (including roofs, walls, and floors), replacement doors and windows, mechanical ventilation, airtightness, solar PV, and heat pumps.

The process for an energy retrofit starts with an initial consultation to establish your requirements followed by a detailed house survey that includes the building fabric and heating systems. An energy report is then prepared that recommends a package of measures.

Once satisfied with the recommendations in the report, we can finalise the design of the works, prepare documents for tender or pricing, and arrange for the grant documentation. We carry out interim checks on the retrofit works in progress and a detailed final inspection once the project is completed. A health and safety file and post-works BER Certificate are provided on completion of the project.

Mike O’Rourke
Head of Contracting and Safety
T: 086 440 2565
E: mike.orourke@electricirelandsuperhomes.ie

Richard Vaughan
External Partnerships Lead
T: 083 132 9218
E: richard.vaughan@electricirelandsuperhomes.ie