Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
140. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how many SEAI heating control grants were awarded in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023; the average amount per grant in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form. [37065/23]
View answer141. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the cost of doubling the funding available for heating control grants. [37066/23]
View answer143. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the average cost to install a smart heating control in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form. [37108/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 140, 141 and 143 together.
The installation of fully integrated heating controls is one of the energy efficiency measures supported under the SEAI administered grant schemes. Heating controls are an excellent way to control a household's energy usage and improve comfort. A fixed grant of €700 is available towards the cost of installing heating controls. This is available under all of the part-funded residential retrofit schemes. Heating controls can also be installed as part of a wider retrofit under the fully funded Warmer Homes scheme.
There is no ring-fenced budget allocation for heating control measures. Budget 2023 has allocated €356 million in total for residential and community retrofit schemes.
The majority of grants for heating controls are paid out under the Better Energy Homes (BEH) scheme. The BEH scheme provides individual grants for a range of measures, allowing homeowners to take a step-by-step approach to their retrofit. The scheme has a budget of €48.5 million this year.
In relation to the figures sought by the Deputy:
• Under the Better Energy Homes scheme in 2022, approximately 1,600 grants for heating controls were paid out at a cost of €1.15 million. On the basis of this level of grant payments, a doubling of the fixed grant from €700 to €1,400 would have brought to €2.3 million the amount paid out of the Better Energy Homes scheme allocation in 2022.
• Under the Better Energy Homes scheme to end June 2023, 635 grants for heating controls were paid out at a cost of just over €444,000. On the basis of this level of grant payments, a doubling of the fixed grant from €700 to €1,400 would have brought to €888,000 the amount paid out of the Better Energy Homes scheme in the first half of 2023.
Heating controls are also installed as part of more extensive upgrade projects under the One Stop Shop, Community Energy Grant and Warmer Homes schemes. Details on the number of installations of heating controls under those schemes is not routinely collated by SEAI and are not included in the figures mentioned above.
The information sought in relation to the average costs to fully integrated heating controls is set out in the table below. It should be noted that these costs are based on the declared cost of works from the homeowner and derived from grant applications where the only measure being grant funded were heating controls. The amount of €700 paid out per grant-aided heating control upgrade by SEAI is fixed irrespective of the costs declared.
|
Year (Quarter) |
Fully integrated Heating Control upgrades funded under Better Energy Homes Scheme |
Average total cost of works declared by the homeowner |
|
2022 |
1,600 |
€4,099 |
|
2023 (Q1) |
344 |
€4,194 |
|
2023 (Q2) |
291 |
€4,600 |
Source: SEAI
