Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2015
265. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of the numbers of local authority dwellings by building energy rating in each local authority area in the State in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5271/15]
View answerMy Department does not maintain a statistical database of the Building Energy Ratings of dwelling units owned by local authorities. The national database of building energy ratings is maintained by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. I understand that the software used to maintain the database was modified in July 2012 to allow for the identification of BER certificates relating to dwellings used for social housing purposes.
I am advised that BER certificates will have been obtained by local authorities in respect of new dwellings commissioned since 1 January 2007 and in respect of dwellings offered for letting since 1 July 2009. In addition BER certificates are obtained when energy efficiency upgrade works are undertaken on existing units. Local authority dwellings falling outside of this set of circumstances are unlikely to have a BER certificate. BER Certificates also have a validity period of 10 years and will cease to be represented on the national database once this period has expired.
My Department continues to pursue an ongoing programme of investment in improving the energy efficiency of the existing stock of social housing owned by local authorities and has published the best practice design guidelines Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities which, among other things, promote higher standards of energy efficiency in new social housing. Local authorities are undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting, with the support of my Department, on the least energy efficient social houses over a 3 year period. Funding of €50 million is being provided over the period 2013-2015 for improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock. This programme will improve energy efficiency and comfort levels, and therefore BER ratings, in 25,000 local authority homes.
