COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

MOTION NO. 2

MOTION: Councillor B. Bonner

Cathaoirleach's Business:

This Committee calls on the Manager to investigate the installation of a new heating system in the Cherryville, Clondalkin and to outline the possibilities of funding that installation.

REPORT:

The houses in Cherryville were neither designed nor supervised by South Dublin County Council, but were received into Council ownership as part of Part V Affordable Housing.  The heating systems in the houses are Gold Shield electric storage heaters.  An earlier study by South Dublin County Council some years ago identified that some of the heaters had been undersized for the rooms involved, and new more efficient and more economical Suka electric heaters were installed in all the houses, and appeared to be working properly.  The cost of replacing the electrical heating system with gas based boiler system was estimated at €100,000. This money is not available.  The houses have been examined in terms of insulation in walls and attics and they conform to the standards then in position under the Building Regulations.  The BERs of these units are in the area of D/E but this lower BER results from the electric-based heating and does not reflect insulation or environmental quality in the homes.  Grants from SEAI or from DECLG will allow for increased insulation if accepted, but will not result in the substitution of gas fired for electricity in the heating systems.