Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

On the retrofit programmes, the priority of those is decarbonisation. I think there is a missed opportunity to have more of a focus on energy poverty alongside that element. Many people who come to my office are in or at risk of energy poverty and their homes are very old. They cannot get their homes retrofitted through the schemes. I have a long list of difficulties. To be fair, the SEAI came in and was very helpful and went through many of those. Because there is such a focus on the perfect with that programme, many people are not getting the 70% or 80%, and it would make a huge difference to them as individuals. Is there an opportunity to expand that?

In respect of energy poverty, I have been calling for solar power for quite a while. We should be looking to make people’s homes more resilient to any global shocks. It is not just about making their homes energy efficient but making them more energy independent. Solar power is a huge opportunity to do that. I managed to get solar panels on my home and it is fantastic. I would love to see that expanded to people who cannot afford to take a loan out or cannot get it through the grants scheme. Would the Minister consider opening up the warmer homes scheme to also include solar panels so that people who are at risk of energy poverty can get solar panels and save themselves potentially 40% of their costs over the course of a year?