Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2006
281 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his Department has conducted studies on potential financial and environmental benefit of increased insulation in the domestic property sector; and his views on implementing a grants scheme, similar to the greener homes operated by Sustainable Energy Ireland, aimed at subsidising those homeowners who invest in increased insulation levels for their homes. [27339/06]
View answerIreland's housing stock is proportionately the youngest and fastest growing in Europe, and therefore Building Regulations, under the mandate of the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, have represented an important policy instrument for ensuring satisfactory standards of thermal insulation and other energy performance features in new housing stock.
Approximately half of the national housing stock, or some 800,000 units, was constructed before 1980 and without insulation originally. Today, however, on the basis of the substantial study conducted for the Irish National Survey of Housing Quality, it is estimated that significant upgrading of the older housing stock has occurred. It also estimated that the average annual rates of upgrading with new windows, wall insulation and roof insulation were 4.2%, 1% and 1.4% respectively. In 2002, across the housing stock as a whole, 76% had wall insulation and 82% had roof insulation of some kind.
Other studies are providing important baseline information on the profile of energy consumption in the housing stock. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has published a report "Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions in the Housing Sector". Such baseline information, while incomplete, is important in informing the assessment of the potential impact of insulation and other technical options for improving the housing stock. A further study commissioned by SEI on a sample of the Irish housing stock, to be published shortly, will give an indication of the actual improvements in energy performance of Irish housing over time arising from, amongst other items, progressive increases in thermal insulation standards at the time of construction.
The Warmer Homes Scheme, which is part of Sustainable Energy Ireland's Low Income Housing Programme, aims to improve the energy efficiency and comfort conditions of homes occupied by low-income households and provides funding for the provision, by approved installers, of insulation and other energy efficiency measures in around 2,000 eligible homes each year.
Regarding the possibility of introducing a grant scheme for homeowners to subsidise insulation measures similar to the Greener Homes Scheme for renewable energy technologies, different circumstances apply. The Greener Homes Scheme is focused on achieving an early deployment of new, innovative and unfamiliar technologies in the housing sector with a view to stimulating the creation of a viable and active industry. In contrast, the thermal insulation industry is an established and mature sector. No studies specifically directed at the introduction of a grants scheme in this sector have been carried out in recent times.
However, in the context of effective implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which includes the aim of stimulating investment by householders in upgrading the poorer performing segments of the housing stock, my Department, in conjunction with SEI will be examining options for maximising consumer response and financial and environmental benefits in this regard.
