14/10/2026
Call for help for older residents struggling with heating systems in new Dundalk homes
A Dundalk councillor has called for more practical help for older residents at a new housing development after finding that many were unsure how to use the heat pumps in their homes.
At this month’s meeting of Dundalk Municipal District, Cllr Sionnan McCann (SF) raised the issue after visiting residents at Knocknashee, Connolly’s Field, where 70 age-friendly apartments for people over 55 were completed late last year.
“It was the thing that almost everyone said, that they weren’t sure how to use the heat pump,” she told the meeting.
Cllr McCann said many of the residents had never used that type of technology before and suggested somebody should visit the development to talk them through the controls.
“They’ve never had to use that sort of system before,” she said. “I just think it would be great if someone went and just showed them how to use the heating system. It just seems to be needed.”
A council official said contractors carrying out energy retrofits normally show residents how to use air-to-water heat pumps and that instructional videos are also available. However, they said different developments can have different models and controls, meaning there is no single guide that covers them all.
Meanwhile, Cllr John Reilly (FG) added that he had also been contacted by a council tenant who found a new heating system “very complicated” to operate and suggested councillors could be given links to any relevant instructional videos, to which the council official replied, “Unfortunately there is not one video because every system is slightly different.”
The official added that it was their understanding that there was “very little input required” and that once they are set up “they should operate fairly easily”.
The meeting also heard that council staff had recently received training on heat pumps, but further training was needed to keep them up to date with the different models being installed.
