An Post’s Green Hub to help people in Ireland decarbonise their homes

A new partnership between An Post and Irish renewable energy provider SSE Airtricity streamlines the entire process of green home retrofitting and makes it easily accessible online or via Post Offices across Ireland.

A key feature of the Green Hub is a simple ‘go to’ solution for home energy upgrades. Consumers get access to a free home assessment, affordable finance and an end to end project management service that takes the hassle out of home energy upgrades.

An Post have launched this service with SSE Airtricity but have an ambitious roadmap for their one stop shop that will bring together leading partners in the sustainable living space over the coming months and across 2021.

SSE Airtricity will manage each project from end-to-end for the customer, with market leading finance available through Green Loans from An Post Money and a streamlined SEAI grant application system.

Speaking during a visit to the newly refurbished St Andrew Street Post office, Irish Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport, Eamon Ryan TD said: “I welcome the contribution that An Post’s Green Hub will make to the government’s ambitions for decarbonising Irish homes, with Government targets to upgrade at least 500,000 homes to a B2 energy rating by 2030. As part of the Jobs Stimulus Package announced by the Government in July, €100m has been committed to support retrofit activity in 2021 through SEAI grants, creating an additional 3,200 direct and indirect quality, sustainable jobs in local communities throughout the country. This Green Hub is hugely welcome in that it will help make it easier for customers to access the services and grants, make their homes warmer and more energy-efficient, reduce carbon emissions, and help deliver this crucial economic stimulus. We want to make Ireland a leader in retrofitting by developing innovative ways in which to roll out upgrades, lowering the cost, and improving efficiency.”

Debbie Byrne, Managing Director, An Post Retail Sustainability is at the heart of the An Post group strategy, delivering sustainable long-term business growth and services, but also protecting our planet and looking after our communities.

We have big ambitions to scale the Green Hub to become the ‘go to location’ for sustainable, greener living in Ireland, partnering with leading providers in this field. We aim to be central in supporting the government and central to the national push to retro-fit up to 500,000 houses by simplifying what is a complex process. Helping householders’ to make environmentally responsible decisions when investing in their homes or moving to an Electric Vehicle.

Our customer-friendly ‘Green Hub’ is our way of supporting this essential plan for Ireland, she said.

“Access to affordable finance is another barrier consumers cite in making the decision to up-grade their homes. Our An Post Money new green loan has a market leading headline rate of 4.9% on loans over €20,00 and payments can be spread over up to 10 years building on the ever expanding range of Community Banking Services offered through local post offices and online Our focus is on maintaining our growth in financial services and presenting innovative and reliable solutions to meet every day needs,’ she said.

Klair Neenan, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity commented: “SSE Airtricity is delighted to partner with An Post to launch The Generation Green Home Upgrade Programme, a ‘one stop shop’ for home energy retrofits, as we both look to help Ireland transition to a more sustainable future.

As a company, we are proud of our green heritage and this new product, which aims to support up to 30,000 homeowners to upgrade their homes, is a first of its kind in Ireland. Once delivered, this will equate to approx. €20m in reduced energy costs every year for Irish households.

We are investing significantly in this programme which will include the direct creation of up to 40 new skilled jobs including project managers, surveyors, and administrators. In addition, the work generated by SSE Airtricity through this programme will indirectly support and generate up to 150 additional jobs across our contracting partners and suppliers.

The Generation Green Home Upgrade aims to cut through the complexity for consumers by providing the whole-home retrofit solution alongside straightforward low-cost finance options under one roof. We will provide expert end-to-end project management for home energy renovations with some of Ireland’s best loved service providers including Kingspan, Munster Joinery, and Activ8 Energies. For over a decade SSE Airtricity has been a leader in driving Ireland’s green energy revolution and we’re ready to play our part in supporting the Government’s ambitions to retrofit up to 500,000 houses by 2030.”

An Post Green Hub users will have access to SSE Airtricity’s innovative interactive BERWOW online calculator tool which provides a clear first look at potential energy efficiency measures and associated work for their particular home, based on their Eircode or current BER rating.

An Post join forces again with its strategic lending partner Avantcard to provide low-cost Green Loans for up to €75,000 over 10 years with a market leading rate of 4.9% APR for loans of €20,000+.