Dr. Ciaran Byrne:

That is a interesting question. The SEAI launched in February a heat study, with which the Chairman is probably familiar. It looked at how we decarbonise our heating. There was a strong focus in that on where in the continuum of fabric the heat pump should be inserted. Much work has been done on that. The heat study is looking at the potential opportunity from a decarbonisation perspective to put in the heat pump earlier in the process. The SEAI has just launched the heat loss indicator, HLI, pilot scheme to look at that in practice. We have a powerful heat study and are asking how that translates into practice on the ground. One of the questions around the HLI will be as to where the heat pump goes in and whether it can be put in earlier. A concern is that putting a heat pump in a home that is not adequately insulated can drive up costs. There is a carbonisation piece and a social piece. The heat study identified that as something we need to look at.