Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. Apologies as I have had some technical difficulties in my office and I was unable to turn on my camera or keep my hand up. However, I have been participating in the meeting from the beginning. It has been a thoroughly interesting conversation. I will return to the efficiency of heat pumps which we touched on at the very start of the meeting. There is a lot of rumour out there around heat pumps. There are reputation issues around, I assume, inappropriate installation or the property simply not being suitable for a heat pump because of a lack of quality finish and so on in the past. Could the witnesses put the mind at ease of any person watching this in relation to the technology and the advancements in heat pumps that have been made over the last decade or so? Many people are interested in pursuing it to get rid of their fossil fuel boiler whether gas, oil or otherwise.

I am interested in the efficiency or effectiveness of the BER system. Taking on board the conversation we had earlier about the other measurements that are really appropriate for near energy zero targets that are there, in addition to the suggestions that were made at this meeting, are there opportunities for us to review the BER to make it more fit for purpose? Maybe that is a bit harsh on the BER. My terminology might not be right.

The Chair touched on windows a few minutes ago. Windows in a retrofit are obviously really important, particularly if you are moving from wooden or single-glaze windows. As one of the witnesses mentioned earlier, many properties, maybe 16%, are pre-1946. I am open to correction but I understand that about 80% of properties are 1990 onwards. My question relates to the numbers of double glazed windows that might have been installed in the last 20 to 30 years in particular and their effectiveness or efficiency in relation to retrofitting. Considering the costs involved and difficulties with obtaining contractors because we are all moving at the same time for the same thing when it comes to roof insulation, cavity wall insulation where a property owner may not be able to afford to replace their windows but it is an objective, has the State done enough on this? Has the technology really advanced so far? Take double glazing that was installed in the mid-2000s. There would have been enormous developments since then. Should they be replaced when we think of the windows available today? Does anyone have relevant expertise or have an experienced best-guess as to what we should aim for on this area? Is the State doing enough in this area of the potential energy lost through windows in particular?