To add to above I think it’s just coincidence that there was fuck all awareness of energy / heat conservation in the time when a lot of these red brick houses were built
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@fran has more or less answered it above Smark. The outer layer has fuck all influence on the BER rating (unless the outer layer is an insulated render). The rating is more based on the air tightness and insulation and self sustaining energy properties of a building, so it’s probably more to do with the age of the house rather than it being a red brick build.
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Could you bring an F energy house up a good bit just by say putting in proper double glazed windows throughout I wonder? Maybe block up the chimney and put in stove too? But I guess most heat is lost through the roof. So maybe you could do all that for under 12-15k.
Is putting that insulation beading into wall cavities worth a fuck
You wont remove and change windows for that alone in a standard house, never mind do all the insulation upgrade too. Back of the fag box budgets, but you would be looking at about €15-20k for removing and replacing windows and putting air tight tape around them and replastering the reveals internally and externally, €4k to remove fireplace and install stove, €4-6k for pumped cavity insulation, €2-3k to reinsulate the attic space, €4k to insulate the roof rafters if needed also, and then you’d be looking at maybe €3-4k to repaint externally and internally as you’ll have made a bollix of walls if you do the pumped insulation. You could dryline the walls, but you would be adding on €5-7k on top of the pumped price. You should also get an air tight membrane in the upper floor ceiling, but that would involve taking down the ceiling, fitting a membrane and reslabbing. All in, I’d say a window upgrade with insulation would be closer to €30 or €40k which would get you closer to a better rating.
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Indeed and ypuvalso had to have a vat receipt from a registered installer. Therefore the grant paid the Vat in the main
Some I know that have had it done have a noticeable difference. In terms of what it does, its the least intrusive and cheapest solution, so can be popular as a result for quick effective fixes. It may not be the best solution, but worthwhile if the coldness is coming through. I have also heard it can cause sweating of walls as there is no cavity ventilation as a result, and also if the build is shit originally, it may not be effective with a narrow cavity to fill or beads that dont fill all the gaps. But by and large, if the house is cold in winter and you wanted the best value method to reinsulate, then it is certainly worthwhile.
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Another problem is that most old houses have only 50mm of a cavity, which is fuck all. New houses being built with cavity bead in mind have 200mm.
and that 50 might be smaller in places if it is a shit build, so you might only get 10 to 20mm worth of additional insulation, which is what I meant by a narrow cavity above. It can be good, but it is dependant on enough cavity space to make it worthwhile.
What a post 
When we did some work to the house the best money I spent was on getting a nice wood burning stove with a built in fan that circulates the warm air. It’s one of the things I love about the house now in the winter. Would definitely recommend.
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Rooting out old concrete or wooden floors in old houses can be one of the biggest problems in getting the ber rating up in old houses. Throw in replacing gun barrel and other old piping and ground floor electrics and you’re talking serious money. Gets close to knocking it and doing a complete rebuild.
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An informed post @Gman. Sadly it has thrown @Smark into a bit of a tizzy as the 2020 plan for nuptials has now been thrown on the dunghill. He’ll have to start finding winners again.
better of bribing the assessor so
€2k to insulate an attic 
That’s for a proper house on a bit of land. Not your standard Dublin semi D
To take out the exiting insulation, all through an attic hatch, dispose of it and bring in new rolls and lay them out, 2 layers of 200mm thick, I doubt you’d get much change out of €2k
It’s gas here how’s lads think they can get everything done for nothing. Shure it’s only a bit of insulation,that a fierce high price,will ye do it for half price for cash.Ill do it myself so,ect ect
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Depends what the end purpose is though. If it is for your own place to live in, best of doing it all right and have it economical to heat. If it is a fixer upper to sell on to some mug, then yeah, bribe an assessor.
aye.