Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2023
62. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to report on the local authority housing stock retrofitting programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33206/23]
View answerSince 2013, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) to support local authorities with the retrofit of local authority owned homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Over the period 2013-2022, local authorities received almost €238 million in funding to carry out energy upgrade works on 77,061 properties.
In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2 (BER)/Cost Optimal Equivalent standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by my Department for those local authority housing retrofits.
Works eligible under my Department's revised EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. The installation of gas/oil boilers are no longer supported under the energy efficiency programme funded by my Department.
An annualised breakdown of the funding and number of properties completed by each local authority since 2013 is available at the following link: gov.ie - Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme - Expenditure & Output (www.gov.ie).
My Department also introduced a pilot Midlands Energy Retrofit Programme in 2020, the details of which are found below. A further 481 properties were retrofitted to a BER of B2/ Cost Optimal Equivalent and these figures are in addition to the National Retrofit Programme.
gov.ie - Midlands Energy Retrofit Programme - Expenditure and Units (www.gov.ie).
The 2023 EERP budget provides an increase in funding support to €87 million in 2023 which will allow approximately 2,400 local authority owned social homes to be upgraded to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER). Local authorities have been notified of their targets and funding available but it will be later this year before significant claims have been received. Figures in relation to the 2023 Programme will be made available in early 2024.
