Installers are being urged to encourage customers to be more energy aware by directing them to take advantage of the new Energy Saving Kits available from Dublin City libraries.
The new Home Energy Saving Kits contain six tools which give the user a sense of how much energy they use on a daily basis. Borrowing the kits from Dublin City’s 21 public library branches is as easy as taking out a book and is also free of charge.
The tools in the kit include a thermal leak detector, energy monitor, temperature and humidity meter, stopwatch and fridge/freezer thermometer and address the main areas of energy use in the home, such as space heating, hot water and electricity consumption. They can also identify common issues in houses and apartments such as lack of insulation, poor ventilation and the appliances that might be driving up electricity bills.
This is the first time that such a scheme is available in Ireland and follows on from a successful pilot last year where the kits were trialled by Codema in 10 library branches. There was huge interest from the public in the pilot scheme – particularly during the cold winter months – and one of the main advantages of the kits is that you don’t have to be an engineer or technically-minded to use these tools; it appeals to householders generally who want to be more informed about their home’s energy use.
The scheme is the brainchild of Verena Brennan, Codema’s Energy Awareness Manager, who researched a similar scheme in Australia.
“When we began the pilot programme last year, the demand from the public really exceeded our expectations. Now we have Home Energy Saving Kits in all Dublin City libraries and in greater quantities as well, so we are very hopeful that they will encourage the shift in behavioural change that is so desperately needed to improve energy efficiency at both a local and national level.”
The scheme is also supported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
For more information, telephone 00353 (0) 1 707 9818 or visit www.codema.ie/energysavingkit
