Thomas Pringle
Ceist:115. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the grants available for persons building new sustainable houses. [18901/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 28 July 2020
Ceisteanna (115)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department funds a number of grant schemes to help homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. These schemes are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Since 2000, approximately 400,000 homeowners have upgraded their homes with support from these schemes. This has resulted in warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes that are easier to heat and light. Funding of approximately €121 million has been allocated for home and community energy efficiency schemes and the solar PV scheme in 2020. The overarching aim of these schemes is to improve the energy efficiency of our built environment in a way which represents the best possible use of Exchequer funding. This is why the schemes are only available to older homes, built before 2011 in the case of renewable measures, and before 2006 in the case of insulation measures.
Buildings constructed more recently are generally more energy efficient due to energy performance requirements in the Building Regulations. In the case of new houses, minimum energy and carbon emissions performance requirements are set in Building Regulations which are currently at the advanced Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) performance requirements. As the energy efficiency performance of new buildings is already at the advanced NZEB level, grants are not provided for energy efficiency in new houses.
The Help to Buy incentive is a scheme that can help first-time property buyers with the deposit to purchase or build a new house or apartment. Further information on this scheme is available at www.revenue.ie.