Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
177. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of heat pumps that have been installed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54080/21]
View answerA heat pump system harnesses energy from free renewable sources outside the building in order to heat both the house and its hot water. Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly, decarbonised and extremely efficient alternative to oil, gas and solid fuel heating systems. The most common heat pumps work by converting energy from the air outside of the home into useful heat inside. The Climate Action Plan sets a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps by end-2030 of which 400,000 are to replace existing heating systems.
The number of homes fitted with a heat pump from 2010 to 2020 is set out in the table below. The information is based on Grant Schemes and Building Energy Rating (BER) data available to SEAI and as such includes the great majority of heat pumps installed.
|
TYPE OF HOME |
TOTAL |
|
New homes |
29,840 |
|
Existing homes (Retrofit) |
5,560 |
|
TOTAL |
35,400 |
