Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Deputy Ó Muirí is right. I thank him for highlighting this. It is an issue I have been raising personally for a while. We all want to do our bit for the climate – of course we do, and we are living through a climate emergency – but we also have to recognise that while quite a few people in this country would like to retrofit some element of their homes, they may not be in a position to do everything at once. We have to show flexibility in the context of the grants, particularly for those who are older and do not necessarily want the whole house uprooted but who are happy to take some measures that will help to keep them warm in their own homes and reduce their energy bills, and also allow them to do their bit for the planet.

As the Deputy rightly said, we have increased the budget for retrofitting and climate measures. We will be working through all the detail of what that will mean in terms of numbers of home-energy upgrades, and the relevant announcement will be made as part of the REV later this year. As the Deputy knows, we reduced the VAT rate for heat pumps to 9% from 1 January, which has helped somewhat when it comes to affordability for people switching to efficient electric heating. The Department and SEAI keep their grant schemes, including the terms and conditions, eligibility criteria and rates, under review. I will ask that they reflect on what the Deputy has suggested.

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