Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2023
104. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason, when retrofitting old council housing with more efficient air-to-water heating systems, the council did not replace windows and doors with energy-efficient ones, resulting in higher heating costs for tenants due to heat loss through inefficient windows and doors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46973/23]
View answerIn 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.
This new programme sets a BER performance requirement of “B2” or cost optimal level. The upscaling of the works included in the programme sees a substantial overall increase in funding being made available for attic and wall insulation, windows and doors where required and heating upgrades, specifically the installation of a heat pump and associated works. A heat pump is installed only were the Heat Loss Indicator is below a particular threshold according to the type of dwelling, which ensures the efficiency of the system.
The detailed administration of the programme is a matter for each individual local authority including the selection of homes and programme of works to comply with the technical specifications of the scheme.
