Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
107. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will amend the scheme policy and eligibility criteria for the better energy homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40640/22]
View answerThe 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP21) committed to reducing emissions from the residential sector to between 3.5 - 4.5 Mt CO2eq. by 2030, from 7 Mt in 2018. As part of the achievement of this reduction, the CAP set ambitious targets to install 600,000 heat pumps in homes by 2030, of which 400,000 will be in existing homes.
My Department funds a range of grant schemes which are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides a financial incentive to private homeowners to improve the energy performance of their home. Grants for homeowners that want to take a step-by-step approach to upgrading their homes have been significantly increased in line with the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme. Under the scheme a home cannot receive grant funding twice for the same energy efficiency measure.
However, under the National Home Energy Upgrade scheme and the Community Energy Grant Scheme, where a property is being fully retrofitted homeowners can receive grants for the measures recommended to achieve a B2 BER standard and heat pump as outlined in the Home Energy Assessment. Where a home previously received grant support for insulation and the Home Energy Assessment determines that a second insulation measure is required as part of an overall property upgrade to attain a B2 BER standard/cost optimal or carbon equivalent and meet the heat pump requirement, this is allowed as follows:
- Internal Wall Insulation is eligible where cavity has previously been funded.
- External wall insulation is eligible where either cavity or internal wall insulation has been funded.
- Two wall insulation measures cannot be grant funded under the same Home Energy Upgrade Scheme application.
It is important to note that the grants available through SEAI aim to maximise emission reductions and deliver energy savings for the widest range of homeowners possible. The grants which are available, and their respective eligibility criteria, were selected as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners as well as the best value for money for the Exchequer. The improved grant schemes provided by SEAI are the subject of significant interest from households.
