Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 November 2012
229. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress being made on the retrofitting of old housing stock with appropriate insulation; if any of the funding available for this initiative was secured from the EU; and if so, if any of this funding has had to be returned to the EU as a consequence of failure to provide matching funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49124/12]
View answerThe Better Energy Homes scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and provides financial assistance for improving energy performance of older homes, built anytime before 2006. The scheme enables homeowners to save money, while improving comfort and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Fixed grants are provided towards the cost of a range of measures including attic insulation, wall insulation, heating systems upgrades, solar thermal panels and accompanying Building Energy Rating (BER). Since the scheme commenced in March 2009 the SEAI has disbursed over €145m in grants and supported the installation of over 337,000 such measures in 133,195 homes built pre-2006. None of the funds for the Better Energy Homes scheme are sourced from the EU.
