Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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145. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of households, per county, who are currently approved for works under the warmer homes scheme for which the works have yet to commence. [8107/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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146. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of households approved for works under the warmer homes scheme, in tabular form per county for the years 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [8108/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the Warmer Homes Scheme on behalf of my Department. Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households and reducing the waiting times for the Warmer Homes Scheme is a top priority for my Department and the SEAI. My officials continue to work with the SEAI to maximise and accelerate the output of free energy upgrades provided under this important scheme.

In recent years, the Warmer Homes Scheme has delivered a greater volume of deeper and more complex upgrades. This is reflected in the average cost of upgrades which have seen an almost tenfold increase from €2,600 in 2015 to €24,000 in 2023.

These deeper upgrades mean that more lower income homeowners are benefitting significantly from warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and reduced emissions. However, it is important to acknowledge that deeper retrofits take longer to complete.

This improvement in the upgrades provided under the scheme in tandem with increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit are driving significantly increased levels of demand. Approximately 24,000 applications from homeowners were received in 2022 and 2023 combined.

For the homes completed in 2023, the average waiting time from application to completion was 20 months. This is a reduction from 26 months for homes completed in 2022.

Table 1 below sets out the number of homes completed in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 to end January. Table 2 sets out the number of homes on the Warmer Homes Scheme work programme. This includes homes that are:

• currently undergoing works;
• have been allocated to contractors for works;
• have completed an initial home survey;
• are awaiting allocation to a contractor; or
• are awaiting the initial survey of their home.