Energy plan: Households could save €500 a year

HOUSEHOLD energy bills could be reduced by €500 a year after the Government announced plans to give householders up to €2,750 each to make their homes more energy-efficient.

The Department of Energy has earmarked €100 million for a nationwide household energy-efficiency scheme, and the first €5m tranche is being spent this year in north Tipperary, Limerick, Clare and Dundalk.

The Government and Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) will target 2,000 older homes initially, as they are in most need of energy efficiency retrofitting.