Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 October 2022
134. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if grants are available for the replacement of windows and doors in an old farmhouse to ensure it is weatherproof for the winter months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49292/22]
View answerEarlier this year, the Government approved a package of significantly improved supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and lower emissions. The supports include a new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offering increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump (up from the previous level of 30-35%). When a homeowner is completing a whole home energy upgrade, windows and doors form part of the overall fabric and are assessed through the home energy survey and assessment. The assessment may therefore recommend upgrading to ensure that home achieves a B2 rating or is suitable for installation of a heat pump, and in these situations that windows and doors are eligible for support through the One Stop Shop service.
Therefore, it is recommended that homeowners considering a window upgrade should consider a whole home energy upgrade to determine the best measures to achieve a warm and comfortable home. Similarly, homeowners can receive support for upgrading windows and doors as part of a Community Energy Grant project – where the upgrade also addresses the whole home. The provision of grants for windows and doors, as part of a whole home energy upgrade, represents a continuation of the approach adopted previously as opposed to any change in policy.
In the Warmer Homes Scheme, poorest performing homes are upgraded and in certain circumstances windows may be recommended following a survey and provided where suitable. They are not offered as an individual energy upgrade but as part of a suite of upgrades to provide a warm and comfortable home for the homeowners in an economic and efficient way.
