Vol. 573 No. 3
400 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if the expansion of the houses of tomorrow grants scheme will be considered to include individuals building their own home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25344/03]
The House of Tomorrow is a research and development support scheme, not a home improvement grants scheme as such. It is seeking projects of sufficient scale and impact to influence wide application of the practices and technologies demonstrated.
The scheme, operated by Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, is directed at encouraging developers of housing, both new build and refurbishment, to incorporate design and technology features which deliver significantly superior energy and CO2 performance. By targeting developers of schemes of houses, from the private or social housing sectors, the aim has been to establish over a number of years a nationwide network of accessible examples of more sustainable energy design and technology practices. With the accompaniment of other promotional measures by SEI, this is intended to encourage a sufficient degree of market replication, without subsidy, to elevate energy performance standards across the wider housing stock.
