Written Answers Nos. 71-90
71. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the current annual economic value of cumulative energy efficiency savings resulting from intentional energy efficiency campaigns undertaken over the past five years, for each local authority which is undertaking such campaigns.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56573/23]
View answer70. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a list of the local authorities which have ongoing, managed energy-efficiency campaigns. [56572/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 70 together.
The information below sets out local authority activity in relation to energy efficiency where it has been reported on the SEAI’s energy Monitoring & Reporting system, or where the local authority has interacted in other ways with the SEAI. Beyond that, local authorities may have undertaken other energy efficiency activities which they did not report on to SEAI and further information may be available from local authorities.
Energy awareness campaigns
Over the winter of 2022/23, while there was a national Reduce Your Use (RYU) campaign on energy efficiency measures and energy savings, there was also a dedicated separate RYU campaign for public sector bodies that was launched by my Department. All local authorities joined the RYU community of practice for public bodies, indicating they were accessing the campaign material.
SEAI has produced two mini case studies on local authorities energy efficiency initiatives, summarising actions taken during the 2022/23 campaign.
Clare County Council reported savings of between 5% and 10 % in 2022 in its large corporate buildings. See: www.seai.ie/reduceyouruse/public-bodies/energy-efficiency-campaig/Clare-CoCo-RYU-Final-Approved.pdf
Fingal County Council reported savings of 19% in 2022 compared to the previous year. See:
www.seai.ie/reduceyouruse/public-bodies/energy-efficiency-campaig/Fingal-CoCo-RYU-Final-Approved.pdf
Following the success of the 2022/23 RYU campaign, a new RYU campaign for public bodies for this winter of 2023/24 was launched in October 2023. Minister of State Ossian Smyth, to whom I have delegated responsibility for public sector energy efficiency, wrote to 348 public bodies (including local authorities), notifying them about the new campaign and encouraging them to participate in the initiative in Winter 2023/24. Most local authorities have already joined the SEAI RYU community of practice for public bodies for this Winter, indicating they are accessing the campaign material, as set out under.
The Engaging People Accelerator Programme is an SEAI programme that helps public bodies to develop their own energy saving awareness strategies and campaigns and 8 local authorities have participated in it since 2021.
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RYU 2022/23 |
RYU 2023/24 |
Engaging People Accelerator Programme |
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Carlow County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Cavan County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Clare County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Cork City Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Cork County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Donegal County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Dublin City Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Fingal County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Galway City Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Galway County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Kerry County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Kildare County Council |
Yes |
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Kilkenny County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Laois County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Leitrim County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Limerick City & County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Longford County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Louth County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Mayo County Council |
Yes |
No |
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Meath County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Monaghan County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Tipperary County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Offaly County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Roscommon County Council |
Yes |
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Yes |
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Sligo County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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South Dublin County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Waterford City & County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Westmeath County Council |
Yes |
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Yes |
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Wexford County Council |
Yes |
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Wicklow County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Energy management
Local authorities report on the SEAI’s Monitoring & Reporting system on their energy management status – see table below on status of ISO50001 accreditation as at 2021. ISO50001 is an internationally recognised energy management standard.
The table also contains information about attendance at SEAI’s energy management training (EnergyMAP and ISO50001 Accelerator) in the last two years, indicating local authorities that are currently working on implementing or upgrading energy management processes.
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ISO50001 |
ISO50001 Accelerator |
Full EnergyMAP training |
1day EnergyMAP training |
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Carlow County Council |
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Cavan County Council |
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Yes |
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Clare County Council |
Yes |
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Yes |
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Cork City Council |
Yes |
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Cork County Council |
Yes |
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Donegal County Council |
Yes |
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Dublin City Council |
|
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Yes |
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Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Fingal County Council |
Yes |
Yes |
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Galway City Council |
|
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Galway County Council |
In Progress |
Yes |
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Kerry County Council |
Yes |
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Kildare County Council |
In Progress |
Yes |
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Kilkenny County Council |
Yes |
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Laois County Council |
|
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Yes |
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Leitrim County Council |
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Yes |
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Limerick City & County Council |
Yes |
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Longford County Council |
|
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Yes |
|
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Louth County Council |
Yes |
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Planned |
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Mayo County Council |
|
|
|
|
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Meath County Council |
In Progress |
Yes |
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Monaghan County Council |
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Yes |
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Tipperary County Council |
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|
|
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Offaly County Council |
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Yes |
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Roscommon County Council |
|
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Yes |
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Sligo County Council |
In Progress |
Yes |
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South Dublin County Council |
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Yes |
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Waterford City & County Council |
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Westmeath County Council |
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Yes |
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Wexford County Council |
Yes |
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Wicklow County Council |
In Progress |
Yes |
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SEAI tracks the energy performance of all public bodies on its Monitoring and Reporting (M&R) system. Using the annual data, a public sector energy performance report is produced annually. See: www.seai.ie/publications/Public-Sector-Annual-Report-2022-English.pdf
This system has been in place for over a decade. An individual scorecard is created for each public body showing how its performance has changed from the relevant baseline. This information and the latest annual report are available online and it is possible to look up each individual body to ascertain its performance. See: www.seai.ie/business-and-public-sector/public-sector/monitoring-and-reporting/public-sector-results/
By 2021 the aggregate impact of the improvements in energy efficiency made by the 31 local authorities since their energy efficiency baselines was equivalent to avoiding approximately 700 GWh of primary energy use in 2021. This was calculated by subtracting each local authority’s actual 2021 energy consumption from its business-as-usual energy consumption. The business-as-usual energy consumption is the amount of energy that each local authority would have consumed in 2021 had it not made the reported efficiency gains since its energy efficiency baseline. These calculations incorporate adjustments to the business-as-usual consumption for local authorities to account for the transition of water services to Irish Water at the end of 2013. The SEAI estimates that the euro value of the avoided energy consumption in 2021 was €49m. Cumulative cost savings from the baseline to 2021 are estimated by the SEAI to be €323m.
73. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a breakdown of retailers who have signed up for the deposit return scheme to date; how many retails have yet to sign up; what major retailers have signed up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56603/23]
View answer100. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware of concerns (details supplied) that particulars of the re-turn scheme will render it anti-competitive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57325/23]
View answer101. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how the re-turn scheme will process imported drinks containers from EU Member States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57326/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 100 and 101 together.
A national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is being introduced to encourage more people to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans and to ensure we meet our ambitious EU targets for the recycling of those containers under EU Single Use Plastics and Packaging legislation.
DRS is an extended producer responsibility scheme under which producers have been given responsibility for the separate collection and recycling of the containers (bottles and cans) that their products are sold in. Producers are defined as the operator who first places such beverages on the Irish market, which includes operators who directly import from outside the State.
The DRS Regulations were signed in November 2021 and include provisions to ensure the legislative framework for the DRS and the scheme design are non-discriminatory against any operator or product being placed on the Irish market:
• DRS is a national scheme which applies on a country-wide basis to:
• all beverages, sized between 150mls and 3 litres, sold in PET plastic bottles and aluminium/steel cans, and
• all operators who supply or sell such products on the Irish market.
• The requirements in respect of DRS products are the same, regardless of whether the product was produced in Ireland or imported into Ireland from another jurisdiction.
DRS are used successfully in over 40 countries around the world, including 15 in Europe. The inclusion of mandatory, national labelling requirements is a key design feature of these schemes, as demonstrated by the two most recently implemented schemes in the EU – Romania (introduced in November 2023) and Hungary (introduced in January 2024).
Clear labelling maximises understanding and minimises fraud – it makes it easier for consumers and retailers to identify products which are covered by DRS and it reduces the risk of deposit fraud (e.g. where a beverage is purchased in one jurisdiction without a deposit and returned in a neighbouring jurisdiction where a refund is obtained). The risk of this type of fraud is much higher where there are jurisdictions in close proximity which do not have a DRS, as is the case here with Northern Ireland.
Guidelines on the use of a national logo were published by Re-Turn, the DRS operator, in February 2023, followed by a Labelling Manual in April 2023. This provided all operators with easy access to Re-Turn’s design and printing specifications to enable them to update their packaging in advance of the introduction of DRS. An alternative option is available in the form of a sticker supplied by Re-turn to small-scale operators or operators (such as importers) who do not have control over their packaging, to supplement rather than replace existing packaging.
The DRS Regulations also place obligations on retailers to charge their customers a deposit for every in-scope drink sold, to take back the empty drink container and to refund the deposit when it is returned for recycling. Retailers include any operator who sells beverages to customers which covers a wide variety of operators. To date just over 3,300 retailers, representing almost 5,300 premises, have registered for the scheme. All major retailers have registered.
74. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider making properties in the private rented sector eligible for funding equivalent to the better energy warmer homes scheme for low-income tenants and their landlords, based on a tenant receiving the housing assistance payment and having a long term lease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56658/23]
View answer76. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on fuel poverty in the private rented sector; his plans to ensure that rented properties are included in thermal retrofit programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56724/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 76 together.
Rental properties can present a specific challenge for energy efficiency improvements. This is an issue found in most countries where the incentives to invest in energy upgrades can be misaligned between landlords and tenants.
A range of energy upgrade supports are available to non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to improve the efficiency of their rental properties including:
• The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One Stop Shop Service) provides grant support for private landlords (with higher supports available for AHBs) seeking to upgrade their property to a B2 level.
• The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides support to landlords for step-by-step retrofits.
• Landlords can also avail of grant support for attic and cavity wall insulation, which are low-cost measures that can be installed quickly and cost effectively.
In addition to these supports, a tax incentive is available to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while the tenant remains in situ. This measure provides for a tax deduction of up to €10,000 per property, against Case V rental income, for certain retrofitting expenses incurred by the landlord on rented residential properties, for a maximum of two rental properties. Full details are set out in Section 32 of the Finance Act 2022.
Landlords will also soon be able to apply for loans under the forthcoming Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme. It is anticipated that the loans will be available in Q1 this year through participating retail lenders. Further details on the eligibility rules and other operational aspects of the Scheme will be available at that point.
It should also be noted that the Government’s Housing for All Plan commits to the introduction of a minimum BER for private rental properties, where feasible, from 2025, and to develop a roadmap to implement these standards. Housing for All also commits to the retrofitting of 36,500 local authority homes by 2030 as part of the achievement of the Climate Action Plan retrofit targets.
There are no plans to include HAP tenancies under the eligibility criteria for the Warmer Homes Scheme.
75. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the legal actions and actions of instances being taken against his Department for failure to implement EU directives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56685/23]
View answerThe European Commission identifies possible infringements of EU law on the basis of its own investigations or following complaints from citizens, businesses or other stakeholders. Further information on the infringement process is available here.
There are a total of ten such cases across my Department at present, details on each of these and the relevant Commission position on each is outlined in the table below.
Officials from my Department are working with the Commission to resolve all of these as expeditiously as possible.
|
Infringement Number |
Directive Title |
Commission Decision Type |
Link to EU portal site |
|
INFR(2012)4028 |
Directive 2003/35/EC -providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC. |
Letter of formal Notice |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2021)2116 |
Directive 2010/75/EU on Industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) |
Letter of formal Notice |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2019)4007 |
Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment in relation to peat extraction projects |
Reasoned Opinion |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2022)2053 |
Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe in Ireland |
Letter of formal Notice |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2022)2073 |
Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (Text with EEA relevance) |
Reasoned Opinion |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2023)0149 |
Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544 amending Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the exemptions for the use of lead in aluminium alloys for machining purposes, in copper alloys and in certain batteries |
Letter of formal Notice |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2021)0054 |
Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (Recast)Text with EEA relevance. |
Referred to ECJ |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2018)2030 |
Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste |
Reasoned Opinion |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2020)2193 |
Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2017 concerning measures to safeguard the security of gas supply and repealing Regulation (EU) No 994/2010 (Text with EEA relevance. ) |
Letter of formal notice |
Link to EU Site |
|
INFR(2021)0260 |
Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (Text with EEA relevance.) |
Reasoned opinion |
Link to EU Site |
77. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated cost to double the domestic solar PV scheme by 50% over the next five years. [56818/23]
View answerThe Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) was approved by Government on 21 December 2021, to support Ireland’s ambitious targets for micro-generation installation under the Climate Action Plan 21. The MSS provides supports to both domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for Solar PV installations, which are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Domestic applicants can currently avail of grants up to a maximum of €2,100.
Capital expenditure on the domestic solar scheme in 2023 was €52.1 million. For this outlay to be increased by 50% over the next five years, this would require an annual growth rate of approximately 8.45%. The below table charts a gradual year-to-year expansion of the domestic solar PV budget to reach a capital allocation of €78.15 million by 2028.
|
Year |
Capital allocation (millions €) |
|
2024 |
56.5 |
|
2025 |
61.27 |
|
2026 |
66.45 |
|
2027 |
72.06 |
|
2028 |
78.15 |
78. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications for a breakdown of the property upgrades completed through the warmer homes scheme over the course of 2023, by local authority area. [56824/23]
View answer85. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications for statistics in relation to the average project duration timeframe from application date to completion date for the fully funded energy upgrade scheme administered by SEAI, broken down by either county boundary as indicated in the applicants address or by local authority area; over the last two years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57020/23]
View answer86. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of energy poverty upgrades under Programme B, Energy Expenditure, broken down by either county boundary or local authority area, over the past two years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57021/23]
View answer87. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of new applications received for both the warmer homes scheme and warmth and wellbeing scheme; the number of completions of warmer homes scheme and warmth and wellbeing scheme projects, broken down by county boundary or local authority, over the last two years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57022/23]
View answer88. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of people with chronic respiratory conditions receiving energy efficiency upgrades under the warmth and wellbeing scheme, over the past two years to date and broken down, by county boundary or by local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57023/23]
View answer94. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of fully funded energy upgrades for low-income households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57065/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 85, 86, 87, 88 and 94 together.
The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to households vulnerable to energy poverty. The budget allocation for the scheme was €109 million in 2022 and €148.5 million in 2023. The budget allocation for 2024 will be finalised shortly as part of SEAI's business planning process. Funding of €264 million has also been secured for the scheme from the European Regional Development Fund and will supplement the annual allocations over the period from until 2027.
Increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit and improvements to the Warmer Homes Scheme is driving increased levels of demand for the scheme with 24,000 applications received over the period from January 2022 to end December 2023.
Over that same period over 10,300 homes received upgrades under the scheme. The average cost of upgrades was €24,000 in 2023.
The average waiting time from application to completion in 2023 was 20 months. This is a decrease from an average of 26 months for homes completed in 2022.
SEAI commenced the publication of quarterly reports on scheme performance in 2023. The most recent report including detailed information in relation to the number of homes upgraded per county is available at: www.seai.ie/publications/SEAI-Retrofit-Quarterly-Report-Q3-2023.pdf . The 2023 Q4 report will be available shortly.
The Warmth and Wellbeing Scheme was developed as a pilot scheme aimed at improving the living conditions of vulnerable people living with chronic respiratory conditions. In 2022 the scheme delivered 174 Energy Upgrades, the scheme closed to new applicants on 28th February 2022, with the remaining homes delivered via mainstream Warmer Homes Scheme in 2023.
79. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will review correspondence (details supplied); and the status of the roll-out of fibre broadband at this property. [56845/23]
View answerIn December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote.
The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.
The latest information on when high-speed broadband will become available to this premises can be found on National Broadband Ireland’s (NBI) website at Network Map - NBI. This website is regularly updated providing the expected timeline for delivery and status of any works that are initiated at any point in time. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie , which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Commercial operators’ fibre rollouts are progressing at pace. Open eir have already passed over over 1.1 million homes. SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 555,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years, to date it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 2 of 2023 saw a 7.4% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to the first 3 months of the year, and a 33.7% increase when compared to Quarter 2 of 2022. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable. The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (576,856) or cable (359,669) infrastructure.
80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the Youth Assembly on Climate; and how he plans to respond to the report’s recommendations. [55772/23]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan is a detailed plan for achieving a 51% reduction in our GHG emissions by 2030 (relative to a 2018 baseline) and put us on a pathway to climate-neutrality no later than 2050, and includes a commitment to engage young people. The National Youth Assembly on Climate (NYAC) is a joint initiative led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications under the National Dialogue on Climate Action.
The 2nd NYAC convened on 11 March 2023 with 50 youth delegates (aged 12 to 24 years) from across Ireland gathering at DCEDIY offices in Dublin, with delegates making recommendations across several areas including public transport, the circular economy and climate literacy and communications.
Following the assembly, delegates had the opportunity to present their recommendations directly to me at a follow up webinar on 2 May 2023, and I understand a recording of this webinar will be available shortly on the gov.ie website, along with the National Youth Assembly on Climate Summary Report 2023. These recommendations were communicated to relevant officials in my Department and have been considered in the drafting of the upcoming Climate Action Plan 2024.
81. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56906/23]
View answer102. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will amend the legislation for the energy credit under Budget 2023 to include the removal of the exclusion of ‘low usage’ homes in cases whereby new tenants/owners move into a previously vacant unit. [57332/23]
View answer106. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1050/24]
View answer117. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider amending the terms of the scheme to provide electricity credits to domestic residents to include people living in accommodation that have been deemed ineligible for energy credits due to a low consumption designation when a person can demonstrate that current consumption meets normal levels, for example where a person moved a property in mid-2023, up to which point it had been vacant for several years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1589/24]
View answer124. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason people with low energy usage between July 2022 and June 2023 are being penalised by ineligibility for the electricity credit, as many of these people are on low incomes and are desperately in need of the credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1645/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 102, 106, 117 and 124 together.
As part of Budget 2024 the Government approved a new tranche of Electricity Credits which over 2.2 million households will benefit from -- worth €450 in total per household.
Three payments of €150 (including VAT) are being made between December 2023 and April 2024. The payments are being applied automatically. Households do not need to apply for it, nor do they need to contact their electricity supplier.
The payments are being applied to domestic electricity accounts, including those with Pay As You Go meters, which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2).
Under Scheme III, usage levels are assessed to ensure that payments are withheld in relation to low usage electricity accounts identified by the distribution system operator, to prevent the payment from being applied to vacant houses.
ESB Networks identified accounts which consumed less than 150 kilowatt hours of electricity per quarter for four consecutive quarters between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. If a domestic electricity account identified by ESB Networks on the effective date in respect of each payment, is flagged as a low usage account, it will not be allocated a payment for that payment period. The payment will not be withheld for accounts with a financial hardship meter, accounts held by registered as a vulnerable customer or accounts which have low usage due to the exporting of energy to the grid through microgeneration.
The Scheme allows for review by a customer’s electricity supplier, if contacted by a customer who has not received the payment. The Supplier will be able to review this and apply the payment if the customer is; a registered vulnerable customer, is eligible to be on the vulnerable customer register, or has a financial hardship meter. The customer can seek further review by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which has oversight of the Scheme, following the decision of the electricity supplier.
82. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will list the ongoing research commissioned under the remit of his Department through the North-South Ministerial Council, Shared Island Initiative or through other all-island arrangements; if he will outline the research that has been completed; the date of publication of the research since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56912/23]
View answerMy Department’s vision of a climate neutral, sustainable, and digitally connected Ireland requires transformative action across a wide range of areas, and research and innovation (R&I) are important enablers of our strategic goals. My Department is one of the five largest R&I-funding Government Departments, and, in Impact 2030, the national research and innovation strategy, has committed to developing the national R&I structure in support of its goals in climate, sustainability and digital transformation.
Unfortunately, ongoing disruption to the North South Ministerial Council has had negative implications for the work of the Council and for opportunities to support North-South research and innovation collaboration. There is currently no ongoing research commissioned under the remit of my Department through the North-South Ministerial Council, Shared Island Initiative or through other all-island arrangements. No such research has been completed or published within the lifetime of the current Government.
It is important that the Council returns to operation without delay to allow us to move ahead with new North-South initiatives, including the development of research projects that would benefit both jurisdictions.
83. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how persons can get access to their personal data usage having installed a smart meter without signing up to a smart meter plan. [56961/23]
View answerA smart meter has the capability to read electricity consumption and export data, every 30 minutes. Prior to November 2022, to have access to their data, energy customers needed to switch to a Time of Use tariff or give approval to their Energy Supplier to request this functionality be activated by ESB Networks (ESBN).
However, customers are now able to access their smart meter data directly, without the need to go through their energy supplier or move to a time or Use tariff, following the launch of ESBN’s Customer Portal. This portal allows smart meter customers to register for independent access to their electricity consumption data, to better understand their electricity demand profile and be able to assess opportunities to reduce their use, shift consumption to off-peak periods, and compare tariff options between Suppliers. This direct access empowers consumers to reduce their carbon footprint and potentially save money.
Customers can sign up for an online account via the ESBN website, available at ESB Networks Online Account: www.esbnetworks.ie/who-we-are/customer-service/esb-networks-online-account
84. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason a property (details supplied) is excluded from the NBI scheme even though the properties either side are included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57001/23]
View answerIn December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:
• all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028
• all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, and
• digital connectivity will be delivered to all schools and broadband connection points by 2023
These targets will be achieved through commercial operators investing in their networks, complemented by the State’s National Broadband Plan intervention. When taken together, all premises in the State will have access to high-speed broadband in every part of the country no matter how remote.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard. There may be a choice of operators offering this service in any given area. Further information in this regard is available at www.comreg.ie/compare/#/services ?
From the records made available to the Department, the premises in question should be already capable of receiving speeds of up to 90mbps through commercial means.
Commercial operators are continually upgrading their existing networks in what is a competitive market. The activities of these commercial operators in delivering the speeds you require are not funded by the State and therefore are not planned, designed or directed by the Department in any capacity. The Department cannot compel providers to upgrade services in any area or to any premises or influence their day-to-day operations in any way.
However, Open eir have recently published further detail of their IFN programme, currently rolling out nationwide, and this premises is included as part of those plans.
If a person lives in the BLUE area and after contacting their Retail Service Provider are told they cannot get access to greater than 30Mbps, they should raise a query via the DECC webform at www.secure.dccae.gov.ie/forms/NBP-Customer-Service.aspx and DECC will escalate with open eir to investigate this matter further.
The Department expects that the majority of the Blue area of the NBP Map will be served with high-speed broadband from commercial operators. The European Electronics Communications Code (EECC) requires a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) to be implemented by Member States, which provides an assurance that all premises can access a high-speed broadband connection. This provides another tool to help deliver upon the NBP’s policy objectives that every home and business in the country will have access to high-speed broadband.
The EECC legislation now transposed into Irish Law provides a broadband USO, which will designate a Significant Market Power (SMP) for broadband in specific areas. Therefore, premises that do not have access to “adequate” broadband will be covered by the USO. The timeframe for implementation of the USO is yet to be finalised, however it is likely to provide some safeguards to citizens in the commercial areas, ensuring they get access to adequate broadband services from operators in these areas.
Commercial operators’ fibre rollouts are progressing at pace. Open eir have already passed over over 1.1 million homes. SIRO has recently reached a milestone of enabling over 555,000 premises for full fibre and is on track to reach 700,000 premises by 2026. Virgin Media recently announced a €200 million investment plan to upgrade its cable network to bring full fibre to up to 1 million premises over the next three years, to date it has passed 252,000 premises with full fibre.
Recent ComReg data shows that Quarter 2 of 2023 saw a 7.4% increase in fibre broadband subscriptions compared to the first 3 months of the year, and a 33.7% increase when compared to Quarter 2 of 2022. This demonstrates that take-up of fibre connectivity for homes and businesses is increasing substantially as it is deployed to areas where it had previously been unavailable. The same ComReg data also indicates that c. 40% of homes and business throughout the State now have access to gigabit services through either fibre (576,856) or cable (359,669) infrastructure.
89. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide details of the number of domestic solar PV upgrades undertaken in 2023; the average size in kw of those upgrades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57060/23]
View answerThe Solar PV grant scheme under the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The scheme came into operation in February 2022 and built on the success of the previous pilot version of the grant scheme.
Demand for the domestic Solar PV grant scheme has increased significantly since 2022. By the end of 2022, 10,031 homes had received grant supports at a cost of €24.5 million.
2023 has proved to be even more successful, with demand accelerating. By the end of 2023 22,189 homes had received grant supports totalling €52.1 million. The average size of Solar PV installation supported in 2023 was 5.2 kW, which amounts to approximately 115 MW of installed renewable electricity capacity added during the year.
The significant level of demand seen during 2023 has been supported via Government's decision to apply a zero percent VAT rate for the supply and installation of solar panels on domestic premises, as well as the decision in Budget 2024 to increase the level of income tax relief from €200 to €400, on income earned by householders via the Clean Export Guarantee, which provides remuneration for excess renewable electricity exported to the grid.
This high level of demand is expected to continue into 2024 and indicates that the scheme is working very well and that citizens are recognising the benefits of investing in Solar PV, with domestic applicants currently being able to avail of grants of up to €2,100.
90. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the allowable size of invertors on residential solar units; whether there has been a change in the size permitted; if so, the reason change was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57061/23]
View answerThe current limits ESB Networks place on microgeneration connections to the grid are unchanged. Under the NC6 notification process, you can connect and register a micro-generator in parallel with ESB Networks provided the requirements under the "Conditions Governing the Connection & Operation of Micro Generation Policy" are met. www.esbnetworks.ie/docs/default-source/publications/conditions-governing-the-connection-and-operation-of-micro-generation-policy.pdf?sfvrsn=fdcb2515_17
Under the NC6 process, microgenerators are limited to system sizes of:
25 amperes (6kVA) at low voltage [230 volts] when the connection is single phase
16 amperes(11kVA) at low voltage [230/400 volt] when the connection is three-phase”
To provide clarity and simplicity, the export rating of 25A (approx. 6kVA) single phase or 16A/Phase (Approx. 11kVA) three phase, is assessed by ESBN based on the size of the Inverter through which the PV panels transport their generation. This is because the Inverter will limit any output to 6kVA/11kVA, even if there is an over-install of generation (above 6/11kVA) behind the inverter, for the purposes of increasing kWh production at times of lower light levels.
ESBN are aware of customers who have installed 6 kW inverters delivering above 25 amperes. For those who have already installed solar systems up to 6 kW which do not exceed 28A single phase, these regulations will not have a retrospective impact, provided they have submitted the necessary NC6 form before May 31st 2023. However, for installations after that date, full compliance with the regulations is required to ensure that the electricity system remains balanced and efficient.
There is still the option for customers to install units above 25A, under the NC7 or Mini-Generation connection process.
More information can be found here or by contacting ESBN. www.esbnetworks.ie/new-connections/generator-connections-group/micro-generators-
