Goldshield Homes

The Goldshield Home concept was launched in 1986 by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and since then more than 50 000 such homes have been built and sold by house-builders. The original aim in designing the all-electric Goldshield concept was to provide the customer with a comfortable, economical-to-run and energy-efficient home, using just one energy source -- electricity. The Goldshield concept included the following items in an integrated design: - A high standard of thermal insulation and draught-proofing. - Individual room temperature control. - Factory-insulated hot water cylinder with special controller. - A combination of electric storage heating and panel/convector heating. - Nightsaver electricity. Bord Gais Eireann (BGE) promotes the Home Energy Rated brand as follows: New homes built with natural gas central heating as standard are "energy audited" to determine the amount of energy required to maintain a high level of comfort in the home. The rating is given in terms of the number of kWh required per square metre per year. The lower the energy rating, the less fuel required.