An Post Launches Green Hub, a One Stop Shop for Home Energy Upgrades
An Post has launched the Green Hub, a resource offering homeowners need-to-know information and access to expertise, high quality service providers and low cost loans to help simplify their journey to having a more energy efficient, comfortable and sustainable home.
With a lack of clear information, reliable, SEAI approved service providers and finance options traditionally seen as barriers to undergoing a home energy upgrade, An Post’s Green Hub is a unique resource providing trusted information, market-leading finance options and money-saving tips as well as access to proven service providers at the click of a mouse. The site also has information on grants and access to tools including loan calculators to empower homeowners to create a greener, warmer, cosier home while making savings on their energy bills.
Kick-starting the Green Economy
In line with the programme for Government unveiled in June, the Green Hub will play a key role in the Government’s National Retrofitting Plan which outlines an ambitious target of getting over 500,000 homes to a BER B2 by 2030. An Post’s Green Hub will be a vital cog in the wheel, providing homeowners with trusted support, affordable finance and end to end upgrade solutions to help them start their home improvement process.
Sustainability is at the heart of An Post, delivering sustainable long-term business growth and services, but also protecting our planet and looking after our communities. The Green Hub helps householders to make environmentally responsible decisions when investing in their homes or moving to an Electric Vehicle.
Speaking on the launch of An Post’s Green Hub, renowned Quantity Surveyor Patricia Power said: We have developed a new relationship with our homes throughout Covid-19 and as we head in to winter, it is a good time to think about how you can make your space as comfortable as possible. The arrival of the An Post Green Hub signals exciting times – a resource that homeowners have been calling out for to bridge that knowledge and action gap when it comes to the home energy upgrade process. It makes what was a daunting process simple and achievable. It is about offering practical solutions for whatever your ambitions are for a greener, more comfortable home.
Enabling Smart Home Solutions - Some top tips from Patricia Power
1. Invest in the overall thermal comfort levels of your home. Money spent on insulation to floors, walls and attic spaces etc. may not be seen by the eye, but it will enhance the quality of your living experience in your home and reduce your heating bills.
2. Replacing windows and doors not only will give you a better energy efficiency, they reduce noise, are more secure, and replacing these allows you the opportunity to change the look of your house.
3. Review more energy efficient heating and hot water options like heat pumps, new high energy efficient boiler with heating controls or solar panels. Even smaller items like a new stove, which would seal up a fireplace and prevent heat loss, fitting lower energy light bulbs, adding lagging jackets to hot water cylinders all lead to reductions in utility bills.
Amanda Campbell, An Post Green Hub Director said: “We asked our customers and homeowners what their pain points were when considering how to make their homes more comfortable and more energy efficient. The resounding response was how overwhelming the process can seem, with a lack of clear and concise information, and advice on financing being the major barriers to getting started. We have answered that with a practical solution in the Green Hub which addresses their concerns and provides peace of mind through a managed home energy upgrade process and a market leading Green Loan with an APR starting at 4.9%[i]. Not all consumers want or need that level of support, so we are providing a number of options, designed to suit the needs of each individual homeowner. This is a real solution to support our customers, making the homes around the country warmer, greener and cheaper to run while contributing to a more sustainable future for Ireland.
Benefits of going Green
- A green home upgrade improves the comfort levels – making homes warmer and much more energy efficient.Homeowners don’t need to fund a retrofit on their own, SEAI grants and energy credits help to reduce the cost of the project.
- An Post Money’s Green Loan offers a market leading rate for loans over €20,000, which further reduces the cost of completing the cost of work.
-These improvements boost the value of a home while helping homeowners to reduce their carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions.
-With the Green Hub’s One Stop Shop Solution, the whole retrofit process is managed by fully qualified and experienced contractors, so it’s straightforward and hassle free for homeowners.
An Post’s Green Hub provides two options for homeowners undertaking a project - the One Stop Shop solution that offers an end-to-end project solution to take the hassle out of home energy upgrades and the DIY Package for customers that want to wholly manage the project themselves, including the completion of grant application submissions.
For those that want a hands-free experience, The One Stop Shop (OSS) solution, in association with SSE Airtricity[ii], takes care of each and every step of a home retrofit process with a dedicated project manager overseeing each element of the job from initial home assessment and costing of the work, securing finance with a green loan option, procurement of contractors, completion of a quality assessment when the project is complete, submitting grant applications and securing final sign-off and BER certification.
For further information on home improvement retrofits, the One Stop Shop, finance options and loan rates, check out The Green Hub at anpost.com/greenhub.