Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 July 2016
806. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of engagement with local authorities under the better energy communities scheme; the status of each local authority application and the amount he intends to allocate on a geographical basis. [22355/16]
View answerThe Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Communities scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme aims to support and encourage community based partnerships to improve the energy efficiency of homes, businesses and community facilities in a local area. To date the scheme has supported the upgrade of more than 12,000 homes and several hundred shared community facilities, from sports clubs to community centres and childcare facilities.
SEAI seeks to engage with all potential applicants to the Better Energy Communities scheme as early as possible in the process each year. SEAI typically undertakes a number of workshops for applicants, offers on-site visits and advisory inspection support as well as extensive advice and support.
On June 23 2016, I announced that 38 projects were successful in this year’s Better Energy Communities Scheme and that €20 million in grant funding has been allocated to these projects. This will provide for energy efficiency upgrades to more than 2,600 homes and almost 300 community and commercial facilities. The total investment in energy efficiency, including funding from local communities themselves, is almost €48 million, which will support an estimated 700 direct and indirect jobs right across the country. Due to the nature of community projects, many individual projects cross county and Local Authority areas. Details on each project, including the areas covered by the project are set out in the attached table and have been published on my Department’s website at: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/energy/SiteCollectionDocuments/Energy-Efficiency/2016%20BEC%20Projects.pdf
In this year's scheme 14 Local Authorities were involved with project applications. Of these applications, 9 were successful, with 5 unsuccessful. All applications to the Better Energy Communities Scheme are assessed in a competitive process operated by SEAI and neither I, nor my Department, have any function in relation to the evaluation or selection of projects.
