Ireland gets cold and damp in season and homeowners need to keep warm. Many of the homes in Ireland are older without heating systems and insulation that meet today's energy saving standards. If the home is poorly insulated using an insufficient heating system, winter heating bills can be very high. There are many simple projects that can reduce the heating bills in every home helping to reduce CO2 gas in the atmosphere. There are even SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland) grants to help homeowners upgrade insulation and heating systems.

First, a summation of home defects leading to energy waste. Much of the energy loss in Ireland comes from poorly designed homes, insufficient insulation, poor, old or insufficient heating systems, older, inefficient appliances, outdated home lighting and finally, poor homeowner energy use habits. Many homeowners don't know what is causing the high energy bills, or how to fix it. Public education is of vital importance in saving energy and reducing CO2 gas emissions to the atmosphere.

SEAI is a government grant scheme to help homeowners improve their homes energy savings. The SEAI grants help homeowners completely revamp their homes' insulation and heating systems to save energy and improve the home comfort. The rules and regulations connected to this grant program are complicated and hard for some to meet.

The homeowner must have all the work done first, then get awarded the grant. A BER assessment is recommended, but optional, before and after the work is done. This used to be required. Work to be done for this grant is:

1.Attic insulation up to 200mm

2.Drought proofing in and around windows, doors, walls and roofs.

3.Jacketing hot water cylinders with kits or pink glass wool and kraft paper vapor barrier.

4.Switching to low energy light bulbs like CFL.

5.Cavity wall insulation with blown in glass wool, foam or plastic beads.

6.Energy advice on energy use habits and other ways to save on energy use.

This grant scheme is a good start, but will not cover the homeowner, on a small budget, who wants to do only part of the things needed at a time. A plan still needed, is one that is very attractive to all homeowners and is simple and easy to use. It should have grants for smaller projects, since any change for the better helps the environment.

If one is interested in cutting down energy consumption in their home, and does not qualify for a SEAI grant, there are things to do.

• Check into roof insulation at the local home goods store. If it is possible for the home owner to install the roof insulation on their own, this is an inexpensive project that will pay for itself in energy savings over the next few years. Roof insulation can be done by local contractors or handy men if the homeowner is not able.

• Attic insulation should be up to 200mm thick. It is laid between ceiling joists and over them. Pink glass sheets with paper vapor barrier, come in rolls, and can be used with little mess. Plastic beads, blown in glass wool or sprayed on foam insulation can be used. Heat rises, so attic insulation will stop the heat from being wasted. Lack of attic insulation is one of the biggest energy wasters. It doesn't make much sense to pay huge heat bills for energy that is going through the roof.