Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My constituency of Dublin North-West has a substantial number of houses and housing estates that were built from the 1950s onwards. These older buildings are difficult and expensive to heat. Much of the heat escapes through the walls, roofs and chimneys. There are thousands of such homes across the State that need to be fully insulated to be energy efficient. This would help to lower household spend on fuel to heat a house and will make houses more energy efficient. This can be done by insulating attics, fitting heat pumps, doing wraparounds, pumping insulation into walls or by changing windows and doors, where necessary, in order to bring the houses up to an acceptable energy rating standard. Without such work these houses can be very cold. Many are inhabited by senior citizens who are very vulnerable to the cold and who can ill afford to pay from their small incomes for domestic fuel and gas to keep their houses warm. Those dependent primarily on domestic fuel to heat their homes have seen an eye watering rise in price per litre from 43 cent per litre in Dublin only 18 months ago, to €1.76 per litre at its peak this month. This is more than 300% of an increase in domestic fuel costs in Dublin in this short period. This is just not sustainable for many families and pensioners. They are left with a terrible dilemma in having to make choices based on their limited incomes, the rising costs of living and the cost of domestic fuel and electricity. It is not a cliché to say that they must make a decision as to whether they can heat their house or put food on the table. The cost of domestic fuel has become so prohibitive that many people are reverting back to using coal fires. This is not an efficient way to heat a house, nor is it cost-effective because so much of the heat is lost up the chimney.

Our motion lays out a number of solutions that would mitigate against the worst of the extortionate fuel costs on households. For those families, and especially senior citizens, who are dependent on their cars, the Government should consider an additional reduction in excise duty on diesel and petrol, as well as its removal from domestic fuel, even if only on a temporary basis to give families some breathing space. Families on low incomes and in receipt of the working family payment should be eligible for the fuel allowance. Families are being hit hard now and will need extra supports to ease the burdens they face each day with the rising costs of living and escalating energy costs.

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