A DUBLIN couple were left shocked after insulating their home lead to a potential €5,000 fine and the risk of jail time.
Samantha and Clive Ryan opted to add external insulation to their house in Kilnamanagh, Dublin in October 2018 as an attempt to tackle €700 energy bills.
The couple are facing the issues because the red brick was covered up[/caption]
The couple forked out €16,000 after receiving a grant that brought the price down from €19,000.
However, six years after having the work done on their home the couple received notice that they needed to remove it or secure retention planning permission.
The parents were warned by the South Dublin County Council if the insulation was not removed by June 2025 they could face thousands in fines and even imprisonment.
The addition of the insulation to the front of the home, that covered red brick with a plain white wall, required planning permission.
Despite not having the required planning permission the couple were able to secure a Government grant, with no red flags raised.
Speaking to The Irish Sun, Clive told us it was recommended to them to put a “jacket” on the house, that was built in 1974.
Detailing his shock when he received the notice Clive said it has been “unbelievably” stressful.
He said: “We got to receive a letter to say €5,000 fine and or imprisonment. That kind of knocked me for six, I’ll be quite honest.”
He explained: “We were told to put a jacket on the house and put a nice hat on it and heat it.
“So that was one of the reasons we went all the way down with it but at no stage did we think we needed planning permission for it.”
He added: “And to my knowledge, it’s only that we covered the red brick in the front, the red brick cladding.”
The addition of the insulation brought down the amount the family of four were paying in energy bills, by simply reducing how long they had the heat on for.
Clive detailed: “At the time, we had two young kids and my wife was at home. So our heat would be on maybe six to seven hours a day.
“And now what we do is we just give it 20 minutes in the morning. It’s literally on for about an hour a day, 20 minutes in the morning, the afternoon and it’s still cold, probably 20 minutes at night.
“So our bills have come down anything between €100 and €150. Our bills were €700.”
Multiple neighbours on Clive and Samantha’s street have the same work done, and after speaking with the homeowners the couple confirmed none had run into similar issues.
‘I HOPE COMMON SENSE WILL PREVAIL’
The couple are in the process of applying for retention planning permission, but a worried Clive revealed it “quite possibly” could be rejected.
If that happens Clive and wife Samantha will need to foot the bill for the removal before June 20, 2025, but admitted: “I’m hoping I don’t have to. I hope common sense will prevail.”
Clive is sharing their story in an attempt to stop other families facing the same situation.
He said: “I just don’t want anyone else to go through what we’re going through, to be quite honest with you.
“I would love to just get the plans to put it in and hopefully get it off the plate and let it go away.
“There’s thousands of houses done like this, thousands of houses done like ours. So, I just don’t understand it, to be quite honest with you.
He added: “So the plan going forward is hopefully I get the new set of plans and resubmit and then take it from there.”
The are hoping to receive retention planning permission[/caption]
