Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 11 October 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Dr. Ciaran Byrne:

The Deputy is touching on an important point. I will bring in my colleague, Ms McCarthy, the district heating evangelist. The target is not B2s per se. Rather, it is CO2emissions reduction. When we looked at the best way of reaching that target, we looked at B2s. In terms of energy savings on an individual home basis, though, taking a home from a G rating to a C rating probably saves more CO2than taking a home from a B3 to a B2 rating. We will be examining the relative proportions of the package build-up in terms of how best to achieve CO2emissions reductions. This is where district heating comes in. If we roll out district heating at a greater level than is currently the case, it will effect a greater reduction in CO2emissions, which would impact on the other set of targets.