Mr. Dara Lynott:

Some really good work has been done by the 3 Counties Energy Agency, Codema and the Tipperary Energy Agency in the area of retrofitting. They are fulfilling the role of independent expert advisers. It was very gratifying to see the increase in funding to the SEAI to allow for retrofits. Our members as suppliers will play their part in assisting in terms of advice. The energy efficiency obligation scheme was initiated in 2014 with an annual target at that point of 550 GW hours. This was increased to 700 GW in 2018. This is 700 GW hours every year. This represents about 2.7% of electricity generation in that year, which gives an indication of how the demand can be reduced. The mix of that energy efficiency was 75% non-residential, mostly in the commercial sector, while 20% was residential and 5% was in the fuel poor. We are about to embark on the next level of energy efficiency according to the energy efficiency directive. Now that a lot of the low-hanging fruit has been picked, those targets will become more difficult for suppliers to achieve but access to low and zero-cost finance will be very important for homeowners before they decide to do the deep retrofit. Regulations have played a significant role here. New buildings now are being constructed with electric heat pumps. Again, this will really assist us in meeting targets.

A lot of work has been done by the SEAI and SOLAS mapping out the skills that are required, particularly around construction, repair and maintenance of passive houses. This needs to be rolled out. The energy sector as a whole needs attention to ensure that the right skill sets are there across the entire value chain from generation to distribution to supply of electricity. I might ask Mr. Douglas to address the issue of co-location and the results of the latest RESS auctions.