Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The recently published climate action plan sets an ambitious target of 500,000 energy efficiency retrofits by 2030. Achievement of this target will be supported by a Project Ireland 2040 allocation of €3 billion as well as the range of measures identified in the plan. One such measure is the development of a new retrofitting delivery model which will group retrofitting projects together to achieve economies of scale, leverage private finance and ensure easy pay-back methods. Savings on electricity bills from using less energy will help to fund repayments while homes will be warmer and produce lower levels of emissions. Other relevant initiatives identified in the plan include: the introduction of improvements to the BER certificate to provide more guidance to homeowners; the development of interactive tools and reports for homeowners to identify the impact of energy efficiency upgrades; an expansion of the pilot salary incentive scheme for energy efficiency upgrades; the identification of options for the financing of energy upgrades such as green mortgages; an assessment of the potential for energy suppliers to pilot a pay-as-you-save mechanism and on-bill finance; and enhanced delivery models and supports for households with lower incomes.

The primary current support for retrofitting is the programme of grant schemes funded by my Department and operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Since 2000, more than 400,000 homes have received direct support under these schemes to improve their energy efficiency. This year, I have allocated €85 million to the schemes. The climate action plan commits to reviewing and redesigning these grant schemes to ensure alignment with Government objectives and value for money.

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