Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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128. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the updated average cost for retrofitting a social housing unit as part of the national retrofitting scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10509/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit 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.

To promote and incentivise the achievement of these targets, in February 2022, Government launched 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. As part of the new measures, grants including those for heat pumps were significantly increased.

The SEAI advises that the cost of a retrofit depends on a range of factors including the size and type of home as well as the age and starting condition of the property and the retrofitting works required or recommended.

Local Authority social housing energy upgrades are a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. However, Approved Housing Body (AHB) properties are supported under the SEAI National Home Energy Upgrade and Community Energy Grant Schemes. Most recent data available from SEAI shows that under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme the average cost of energy upgrade works for AHB dwellings was €30,046 in 2023 with an average grant of €15,900. This brought the properties from an average pre-works BER rating of C3 to post-works rating of A3.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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129. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of homes retrofitted, and heat pumps installed to date as part of the national retrofitting programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10510/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit 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.

To promote and incentivise the achievement of these targets, the Government has put in place 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.

In recent years and since the introduction of the new enhanced supports, demand across the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been exceptionally high. Data from SEAI shows that in the period 2019 to end-January 2024, over 136,000 property upgrades, including the Solar PV scheme, and 10,773 heat pump installations have been supported through the SEAI residential and community energy efficiency upgrade schemes.

A record capital budget of €437.2 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been allocated for 2024. The overall allocation will mean that the progress made in recent years under the National Retrofit Plan will be further built on in 2024.

A more detailed overview of the SEAI performance against annual targets on the residential and community energy efficiency schemes, including an annual breakdown of the home retrofits and heat pump installations supported under the SEAI schemes, can be found in their Quarter 3 2023 published report, which can be found on the SEAI website at www.seai.ie/publications/SEAI-Retrofit-Quarterly-Report-Q3-2023.pdf. The 2023 SEAI Annual Review will be published shortly and made available for viewing/downloading from the SEAI website.