Tell me about... Retrofitting an old building

Green Skibbereen has just installed solar panels on the roof of Cecas at Myross Wood House in Leap. Director Jose Ospina of Green Skibbereen said it’s the first step in showing how historic buildings can be brought up to 21st century decarbonised energy standards

What impact will the solar panels have on the property? 

The Energie thermodynamic solar panel system aims to produce up to 600 litres of hot water on demand, even in cold weather, thereby meeting most or all of the property’s hot water needs. The system is a very efficient method of producing hot water from the sun, generating 4 to 7 KWh of energy for every 1 Kwh invested. It is  expected to meet 10% to 20% of the building’s total heating needs which is significant proportion of heat no longer coming from CO2 emitting fossil fuels.

Should better supports be available to encourage more solar panels?

The current PV and storage grant provided by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is helpful, but only supports the installation of PV panels and then only a small proportion of the overall cost of installation. SEAI does not support solar thermal systems like the system installed at Myross Wood House. Both PV panels and thermal panels are vital to providing fossil-free energy and heat for all. Thermal water systems reduce fossil fuel dependency and cuts costs for consumers and PV panels  generate electricity to power homes and companies and which will eventually be sold on  to the grid. Subsidisng the cost of installation of both systems, and fast-tracking a reasonable feed in tariff, will incentivise owners and communities to roll out PV power and thermal water heating. 

What’s the next step in the retrofitting of Myross Wood House?

Green Skibbereen must  secure a longer lease on the property. The  current five years will not allow us to access the level of grant funding needed to carry out the proposed full house renovation. Akiboye Connolly Architects have already set out a comprehensive masterplan for the energy retrofit which proposes  a fabric first approach. Green Skibbereen intends to carry these out in stages over the next decade, subject to the outcome of our negotiations.