Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 October 2016
265. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the latest update on meeting EU 2020 energy efficiency targets; the penalties that will be faced if this target is not attained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31205/16]
View answerIreland is committed to a national target of improving our energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. This means we have to make energy savings of just under 32,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2020. At the end of 2015, energy savings of 17,300 GWh had been reported, bringing us over the half way point. While this national target is not legally binding, the EU Energy Efficiency Directive does require Ireland to make energy savings of 1.5% of annual energy use each year between now and 2020. This is being done through a combination of measures including the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme, the Better Energy Programme and regulatory measures such as building standards.
The White Paper on energy policy, Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030, sets out a vision for transforming Ireland's fossil fuel based energy sector into a clean low carbon system by 2050. The Programme for Government also sets out important objectives that build on this vision. For 2017, I have secured over €100 million in Exchequer support for energy measures, which will permit continuation and expansion of support under the existing grants and community focused efficiency schemes, and importantly, will enable piloting of a range of innovative trials and pilots to determine how we can encourage more households and enterprises to engage in deep energy efficiency measures. A critical focus will be on identifying behavioural change mechanisms to support and motivate action to energise greater investment in energy efficiency. I also intend to bring forward in 2017 a Renewable Heat Incentive which will be designed to ensure that it is complementary to both energy efficiency and renewable heat objectives. There is a clear strategic perspective to advance energy efficiency as demonstrated by the significantly increased Government support to the sector in Budget 2017.
