Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 September 2021
50. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the take-up of retrofitting grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44145/21]
View answerMy Department funds a number of SEAI grant schemes to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Since 2000, over 450,000 homeowners have upgraded their homes with support from these schemes, representing nearly one home in four across the country. This has resulted in warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes that are easier to heat and light. Some €221.5 million in capital funding has been provided this year for SEAI residential and community retrofit programmes. This represents an 82% increase on the 2020 allocation and is the largest amount ever for the schemes. This allocation has facilitated the expansion and improvement of existing SEAI grant schemes and the introduction of new initiatives.
To date in 2021, over 6,500 homes have been retrofitted with support from SEAI schemes. It is important to note that the number of retrofits was negatively impacted by the extensive COVID-19 related restrictions on construction activity between January and mid-April. In addition, the number of retrofits supported has also been negatively impacted by challenges associated with availability and longer lead times for materials. It is anticipated that SEAI initiatives aimed at driving demand for retrofits will encourage further uptake of retrofit grants for the remainder of the year and into 2022.
