Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Chair-Designate

9:30 am

Photo of Michelle MulherinMichelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On energy efficiency measures in homes, I understand and accept that people can upgrade their oil boilers in order to make them more efficient. I am particularly interested in situations where new heating systems are installed in circumstances where someone might previously have had a range and a back boiler. People are sitting in the cold - hopefully not at this time of year - and are going to community welfare officers because they do not have enough money to fill their oil tanks. Matters would be different if they still had their ranges and could buy a bag of coal or some turf, logs or wood chips. The individuals to whom I refer, many of whom are elderly and cannot do things for themselves, are living in misery. What is happening does not make sense. I understand that local authorities are intent on replacing old heating systems with new ones because there is too much servicing involved with back boilers. That is a contradiction in itself. I would like this matter addressed for the good of those who have been affected. I do not accept the idea that people cannot have ranges in their homes as a result of what is involved with servicing their back boilers. That is not the way to go.

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