Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 February 2022
62. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if persons who wish to avail of the latest retrofitting scheme must opt for more than one item to access the scheme; if his attention has been drawn to a shortfall of qualified professionals with the capacity to carry out suites of works required; and his plans to address same. [8644/22]
View answerThe new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme offers increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump (up from the current level of 30-35%).
The new scheme introduces a new way to undertake home energy upgrades with One-Stop-Shops providing an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying the home; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors to deliver the work; and quality assuring the work.
Homes, built and occupied pre-2011, and owned by private homeowners, non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies are eligible for the scheme. This provides an unprecedented opportunity for people all over Ireland to upgrade to a warmer, healthier and more comfortable home, with lower energy bills.
In addition to the establishment of the new scheme, Government has also made clear that it is important that households that want or need to carry out the upgrade over time, should be supported at the enhanced grant levels. For that reason, many of the new grant rates are also now available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme allowing homeowners to take a step-by-step approach or self-manage the project.
Window and door replacements are available under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme as well as under the Community Energy Grant scheme as part of a whole house upgrade solution, because in these instances they tend to be required to achieve an energy efficient home to B2.
Window and door replacement are also available in some circumstances under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme which delivers free upgrades to eligible homeowners in low income households vulnerable to energy poverty.
Window and door replacements are not supported as individual measures and as such are not available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme.
Retrofitting our housing stock is a key element of the Government’s plans for economic growth and development. I expect the unprecedented €8 billion of National Development Plan funding available to support residential upgrades to 2030 will stimulate the creation of high-quality jobs throughout the country. It will also have a significant multiplier effect, supporting the development of associated supply chains.
The recently published report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs indicated that the number of workers carrying out retrofits will need to increase from approximately 4,000 in 2021 to 17,000 by the middle of the decade. In this regard the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has provided €17 million to support 4,550 places on Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) and retrofit related courses this year. NZEB and retrofit programmes are provided in retrofit centres of excellence in Waterford Wexford ETB, Laois Offaly ETB and Mount Lucas National Construction Training Centre with work ongoing to establish a further three retrofit centres of excellence in Cork, Limerick/Clare and Mayo/Sligo/Leitrim ETBs.
