I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 97 together.
Earlier this year, Government announced an enhanced package of measures to support the uptake of home energy upgrades and include:
- A new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme providing increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard.
- Establishment of a network of registered One Stop Shops to offer a start-to-finish project management service, including access to financing, for home energy upgrades.
- A significant increase in the number of free energy upgrades provided to those at risk of energy poverty alongside changes to the operation of the Warmer Homes Scheme. This includes ensuring the Scheme prioritises those in the worst performing homes first and opening the Scheme for homeowner ‘revisits’ thereby allowing them apply for deeper energy upgrade measures now available under the scheme.
- A special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation has also been introduced for all households. This will help to urgently reduce energy use as part of the Government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices.
These new initiatives will be funded by the unprecedented National Development Plan financial allocation for residential retrofit of €8 billion to 2030. Over 60%, or €5 billion, of this funding will be sourced from carbon tax revenue.
Under the National Development Plan, the financial allocation for residential and community energy upgrade programme for 2023 will be €291m. Final details on the allocation to the SEAI for residential and community energy upgrade schemes will be a matter for the Estimates 2023 process
A total of €267.2 million was allocated for SEAI residential and community retrofit schemes and the Solar PV scheme in 2022 as part of the Revised Estimates Volume. The capital allocation will be amended on foot of the Supplementary Estimate for my Department.
The investment this year targets almost 27,000 home energy upgrades, including over 8,600 homes to a BER of B2. Figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland show that to the end of June 8,628 homes have been completed across the residential energy efficiency schemes and of these, 2,681 have been upgraded to a post works Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or better.
My Department and SEAI are completing a mid-year review of progress and outlook presently.
