Ballinahown, Co Galway

Living The Difference: Client Stories

Hear how this derelict post office in Co. Galway, became an A-Rated, modern home.

Derelict Post Office to A-Rated Home

Located in Ballinahown, Co Galway, this 1900's original post office was part-funded by SEAI, to undergo energy efficient deep retrofit works.

The grant provided by SEAI helped fund the energy efficiency upgrades including wall, floor and attic insulation, air-to-water heat pump, new windows and doors.

KORE Retrofit provided project management services, design solutions, technical expertise, quality control services and full grant administration.

150mm of KORE External EPS70 Silver insulation was used as part of a complete EcoFix External Wall Insulation System.
The external wall insulation achieved a U-value of 0.19W/m2K.
The walls were also extended upwards and the window openings raised off the ground. Best practice and high quality workmanship ensured that repeating and non-repeating thermal bridges were eliminated or kept to a minimum.
150mm KORE Floor EPS70 Silver, EPS perimeter strips and an 80mm screed with underfloor heating was installed achieving a U-value of 0.15W/m2K.
This meets Ireland’s building regulations and the proposed nearly zero energy building standards for floor insulation with use with an underfloor heating system. The underfloor heating system was installed on the ground floor of the home.
Only one radiator was required on the upper level as the majority of space heating is provided by the underfloor heating system.
To keep the attic space heated, KORE utilised an innovative warmroof solution with expanded polystyrene insulation to meet SEAI’s requirements for insulating an attic space. This warmroof system increased the home’s energy efficiency, decreased air leakage, reduced the risk of condensation, minimised the risk of thermal bridging and allowed for a heated indoor environment for both storage and services. Internally, 165mm of KORE EPS70 Silver was fitted between 175mm rafters at 400mm c/c, and 12.5mm plasterboard was fitted to the sloped and flat ceiling.
Externally, the roof was fitted with 18mm OSB board and taped at all joints. 50mm of KORE EPS100 White was placed on top of the OSB board, followed by sarking felt and timber battens and counter battens to increase airflow. The new roof construction, along with the KORE Warmroof solution achieved a U-value of 0.16W/m2K. This innovative EPS solution minimises the risk of perforations in the airtightness layer, and ensures continuity of the airtightness layer with the warm roof.
KORE installed a 6kW Daikin ERLQ006CAV3 air-to-water heat pump to provide indoor space heating and underfloor heating.
The underfloor heating was installed at ground level and provides enough heat for all space heating requirements. A single radiator was installed on the upper level to meet the technical requirements of the scheme. The homeowner installed a heat recovery ventilation system to further reduce energy usage required for space heating.
KORE and the homeowners chose Munster Joinery windows and doors, which provided a U-value of 0.80W/m2K for both the windows and the doors.
The windows were set out into the insulation layer which minimised non-repeating thermal bridging.