Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2015
785. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to widen the eligibility criteria for the warmer homes schemes and the sustainable energy communities programme to include houses inhabited by low-income families in both the public and private sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29611/15]
View answerThe Better Energy Warmer Homes and Better Energy Communities schemes are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department. The Warmer Homes Scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to low income households vulnerable to energy poverty, which meet the defined eligibility criteria. Beneficiaries of the scheme do not receive grants but have measures installed free of charge. Since the commencement of the scheme in 2000, 116,283 homes around the country have received energy efficiency measures under the Scheme. €15.8m has been allocated to the Scheme in 2015.
In 2012 the eligibility criteria for the Warmer Homes scheme were broadened in an attempt to capture more households at risk of energy poverty. To be eligible a person must be an owner-occupier of a non-local authority home constructed before 2006 and in receipt of one of the following: Fuel Allowance as part of the National Fuel Scheme; Job seekers allowance for more than six months and with children under 7; Family Income Support.
The Communities Scheme supports energy efficiency upgrades to existing buildings and facilities in the community sector as well as clusters of homes likely to be at risk of energy poverty. This scheme is application-led and the proportion of energy poor homes a project contains is taken into account in the evaluation of each application. There is no requirement to be an owner-occupier in the Communities Scheme. A total of 29 projects received grant allocations of €18.6m in this year's Communities scheme.
My Department is currently in the process of developing a new Affordable Energy Strategy. A public consultation on this strategy was held earlier this year and views were sought on a wide range of issues, including the eligibility criteria for existing schemes. I expect that the new Affordable Energy Strategy will be completed and published later this year.
