Eco-grants to old homes ‘could cut fuel bills in half’

GOVERNMENT investment in every second-hand house in Ireland would help cut energy bills by up to 50%, according to the country’s main building lobby.

The construction industry would benefit by €9 billion if home-owners were given a grant or tax credit to encourage them to “retrofit” energy-saving measures, costing about 10,000, in their houses, while going “a long way” towards meeting Ireland’s target of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases.

That’s according to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), which yesterday recommended the State set a six-year target for improving the energy-efficiency of almost 900,000 houses built before 1990.