12 September 2019
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Pictured are, Caitriona Courtney, Northside Community Enterprises (NCE) Energy Hub Manager, Michael O’Connell, Chairperson Gurranabraher Credit Union and Noreen Hegarty, General Manager Northside Community Enterprises (NCE)
With the increased focus from Irish householders on increasing the energy rating in their homes, Gurranabraher Credit Union recently announced a major new partnership with the largest community-based installers of energy-saving measures in Cork, NCE Energy-Hub, under the brand EnergyUnion.
EnergyUnion brings together 2 northside based Community organisations, Gurranabraher Credit Union & NCE (Northside Community Enterprises) Energy-Hub. Gurranabraher Credit Union is the largest Credit Union on the northside of Cork City. NCE Energy-Hub is a community-based organisation helping individuals and groups alike to secure funding for projects that help make their homes more energy-efficient.
The new service, EnergyUnion will give members access to 2 types of grants from the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland)
- Domestic Grants
Better Energy Homes
* This scheme will help you to upgrade your home, make it warmer and more energy-efficient and cheaper to heat.Better Energy Warmer Homes
* This nationwide scheme delivers free energy efficiency improvements to the homes of people who are in receipt of certain welfare payments - Community Grants
Community Energy Grant
* House & Business Owners can come together as a community to submit 1 community application to make use of increased grants of up to 50%
Here’s how it works: Energy-Hub are the energy-saving experts, and manage the SEAI Grant Process. Gurranabraher Credit will offer the flexible finance, offering a lower-interest-rate loan for the balance, with all the usual Credit Union benefits.
Pictured are, Philip Hosford, CEO Gurranabraher Credit Union, Caitriona Courtney, Northside Community Enterprises (NCE) Energy Hub Manager, Michael O’Connell, Chairperson Gurranabraher Credit Union, Fr. John O’Donovan, Chairperson Northside Community Enterprises (NCE) and Noreen Hegarty, General Manager Northside Community Enterprises (NCE)
Pictured are, Philip Hosford, CEO Gurranabraher Credit Union, Caitriona Courtney, Northside Community Enterprises (NCE) Energy Hub Manager, Michael O’Connell, Chairperson Gurranabraher Credit Union, Fr. John O’Donovan, Chairperson Northside Community Enterprises (NCE) and Noreen Hegarty, General Manager Northside Community Enterprises (NCE)
Applications can be made online at www.energyunion.ie. Speaking at the recent launch of the new partnership, Philip Hosford – CEO Gurranabraher Credit Union said “We have seen a huge increase in demand from our members for Home Improvement Loans for retrofit and Energy Saving updates to their homes. So it made sense to us to provide a one-stop shop for the whole process. With Energy-Hub we have found a partner with it roots firmly in the community with a similar community ethos to ours”
Fr John O’Donovan – Chairperson of the NCE Energy-Hub, speaking at the same event said “All people have the right to have energy-saving measures installed in their homes. The coming together of these two community-based organisations in Energy Union is a way of achieving this objective.”