Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

By the mid or late 1980s, as Deputy Healy-Rae said, around 95% of houses had central heating. There was an incredible change over two and a half or three decades. We are going to have a similar change in the next two and a half or three decades. We have to do it. We know we have to switch from the use of fossil fuels to stop the planet from burning. Another advantage of this is that we will switch to our own natural resources and local fuel. We will still be using central heating systems. In many cases, we will still use the same radiators. It will depend on the particular house. However, the switch in this case will be to heat pumps because there is a huge efficiency gain. Underlying this change is that it makes energy sense through the gain it provides in consistent, controlled, high-quality, lower cost heating. This is where we are going because it makes economic sense, it makes for better, healthier and warmer homes and we will be using our own power supply rather than power imported from Russia, Qatar or anywhere else on distant shores.

I agree with Deputy Healy-Rae on the quality of Firebird Heating Solutions, Grant and Kingspan Engineering. We could add Munster Joinery, which is down the road from Ballyvourney, and Glen Dimplex.

Those first three companies also distribute, sell and make heat pumps. We can and will be good at this. We do not serve people by trying to stick with fossil fuels. The signal of this war is to switch away from fossil fuels and we can and will do that in a way that helps and protects our people.

HVO will have a critical role, as the Deputy said. It is low carbon and involves taking a waste product and turning it into something that can replace oil. The clear policy and approach set out is to use those HVO fuels in the transport system. It will take that sector longer and be more difficult for it because the haulage industry and power plant vehicles with which the Deputy will be familiar need oil. HVO is more expensive and where we do not have an easy electrical alternative, it makes more sense to use it in the transport solutions we need, but not in domestic heating where we have a better alternative.

That is what the Government policy sets out. The Climate Action Plan 2021 last autumn sets out how we do this, including through a phased step away from fossil fuel towards the electric alternative. That is the sensible plan which keeps money in Irish people’s pockets and creates better, warmer and healthier homes, and it is the one we will stick to.

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