Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 June 2022
147. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider providing additional assistance towards the cost of installing a heat pump in cases in which homes are reliant on solid fuel for heating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33990/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP21) committed to reducing emissions from the residential sector to between 3.5 - 4.5 Mt CO2eq. by 2030, from 7 Mt in 2018. As part of the achievement of this reduction, the CAP set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal or carbon equivalent and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030. This represents approximately 30% of the housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide. As part of the implementation of the Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan, the Government recently announced a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and lower emissions. This includes home that are reliant on solid fuel for heating. Included in these measures was the establishment of the new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offering significantly increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with heat pump.
The Government is clear that it is important that households that want to take a step-by-step approach to upgrading their homes should also be supported. In this regard, the Better Energy Homes Scheme supports homeowners to take a step-by-step approach or self-manage their project with increased grant amounts of between €3,500 and €6,500 for a heat pump.
The grants which have been made available aim to maximise emissions reductions and deliver energy savings for the widest range of homeowners possible. The grants focus on first increasing energy efficiency and then switching to electric heating with a heat pump. Following significant preparatory analysis the grants which are available, and their respective eligibility criteria, were selected as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners as well as the best value for money for the Exchequer.
