Solar energy signalled as big cost saver for homes

MANY new homes and businesses don’t meet basic design principles that could reduce energy consumption by more than 30% and slash bills, a renewable energy conference heard yesterday.

Paul Dykes of Sustainable Energy Ireland said it was a pity that thousands of new buildings were not designed to make the most from natural solar energy.

He claimed it was possible to design a house that makes the most of the natural heat from the sun without adding to the cost of the building.

While building regulations ensure reasonable standards of insulation, most home buyers were unaware that a few simple, commonsense measures could make more efficient use of natural solar energy.

Mr Dykes, who was speaking on the first of a two-day solar conference at Dublin's Botanic Gardens, explained that passive solar design was an architectural approach that seeks to maximise solar gains, reduce heat losses and provide for natural ventilation and daylight.

Key elements of a passive solar building are a southern orientation; a high level of insulation; a comparatively large area of glazing on the south facade; controlled ventilation and shading in order to avoid overheating.

He pointed out that many high quality solar systems were now available they were reliable and their productivity could be guaranteed.

"For an investment of between €3,000 and €5,000 a solar water heater would effectively reduce the average hot water bill by over 50%," he declared.

And, he said, solar energy in Ireland was not a myth. Every year the country received 600 times the total amount of energy consumed annually.

"At current energy prices the average Irish family will spend over €40,000 in the next 30 years to heat their home - reducing that bill by over 50% can be achieved cost-effectively by harnessing the energy from the sun," he said.

The two-day conference and the study tour have been organised by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) to explore how solar energy can be used cost effectively to provide healthy and ecological buildings in Ireland.

SEI, formerly the Irish Energy Centre, was established in May 2002 as a statutory authority charged with promoting and assisting the development of sustainable energy.

It is funded by the Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 with programmes part-financed by the European Union.