Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)

The Minister of State will be aware that in 2022, approximately 30% of households in Ireland were considered to be at risk of energy poverty. We are continuing to see the extraordinary stresses that are being put on homes because of the high cost of living, of which a huge component is energy costs. Over recent days and weeks, companies are again increasing their electricity charges, despite the fact that Ireland has the third highest electricity charges in Europe, which is approximately €350 extra on each home. Companies like Bord Gáis and Energia are increasing those prices further, to the extent that it could impose over €200 onto households. We need to look at having long-term and sustainable ways of making households resilient and particularly those who are at risk of energy poverty. Solar panels are an area that could offer this but they have largely been ignored by the Government for low-income homes because the priority has been on retrofitting.

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