Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
73. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the heat loss indicator study; the timeline for its completion; if there are any preliminary results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27445/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra74. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated potential cost savings for the retrofit schemes of a heat loss indicator result of between 2.3 and 2.6 that enabled the installation of a heat pump with fewer energy efficiency upgrades. [27446/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together.
The Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030.
Heat pump heating systems are most efficient when they operate in homes with a low level of heat loss. The metric used to determine if the dwelling has a sufficiently low level of heat loss is the “Heat Loss Indicator” (HLI).
Homeowners that apply for SEAI heat pump grants are required to ensure that the home has a suitably low HLI. This is to ensure the new heating system is appropriate for the home and protects the homeowner from excessive heating costs. Grants are available for insulation and other energy efficiency measures to help a homeowner to improve their HLI if their home is not already suitable.
Reducing the HLI can be expensive for some homes and may discourage homeowners from undertaking the upgrade to a heat pump. The National Retrofit Plan commits to a review of the existing requirements for SEAI grant support for a heat pump installation to see whether heat pumps could be installed in more homes without needing additional upgrade works. This could help to reduce the cost of the overall upgrade project.
This review will be carried out through a research project on homes which do not currently meet the requirements. The research will look at a number of variables including the operating cost and the efficiency of the system. Until the review is complete the estimated potential cost savings from relaxing the HLI will not be known.
