Results 1,701-1,720 of 4,037 for speaker:Jennifer Whitmore

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: If we are looking at outputs and outcomes in the context of energy use, as I said earlier there is quite a strong focus on retrofitting, but it is a lot more costly, more invasive and much slower than solar. One could install solar on a roof in a matter of one or two days and that can reduce energy use by up to 40%. In parallel, one could do a retrofit which could take months, cost an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: There is a huge disparity there. We seem to be putting a lot of investment into the slower and more resource-heavy end of things, rather than in solar which would give us a quicker win.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Can I just say something on that? I do not know whether my thinking is correct here but if one is generating one's own electricity and one's own energy through solar, even if one is wasting some of it because one's home has a B or C BER, from an emissions perspective that does not matter. One is generating one's own electricity while not adding to our carbon emissions. In that context, is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: The issue is speed. Solar is not perfect, and people would also need to do retrofitting. If, however, we are trying to help people this winter and next, the quickest way to do that is through pushing the solar option, particularly for those who cannot afford it. I refer to people who would be eligible for the warmer homes scheme. That scheme does not include solar which is a missed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I want to get down to the numbers and talk about the B2 and the target of 500,000 by 2030. The last time the authority was in I asked for a projection on the numbers, and I think Deputy O'Rourke did too, of how many B2s the authority expects to have installed by 2030. The question is whether that target will be met. I have not seen that projection, though the authority may have sent it and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: It is 5,500 this year. How many have been done to date in total?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: The officials do not have it. There is a target of 500,000 and a B2 is quite an intensive retrofit. There will be a ramp-up and we know the SEAI is in a capacity-building phase, so what happens next year will be much more than this year and it is to be hoped we see that progression.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: That is to date.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: That therefore includes the figure Dr. Byrne just gave me there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: The figure is 16,000. That leaves 484,000 to be done in eight years, which is a considerable number. In order that we can walk away from this meeting comforted the 500,000 target will be met, we need to see what the target is for next year. I assume the authority has projected this out on an annual or even a quarter-by-quarter basis. It needs to know what number it needs to be hitting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: It has changed. In the programme for Government, it was 500,000 B2s. Now it is 500,000 B2 equivalents. There could be two B3 homes that make up the B2 equivalent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Dr. Byrne made a point about district heating, but does it not also have to do with solar? If the ultimate target is emissions reductions and if we can cut a home's emissions by 30% within a day or two, should that not be where the focus lies? The figure for solar this year is €14 million, yet the figure for retrofitting is €250 million. It is way out of kilter. The focus is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: We are not looking at energy. Rather, we need to be considering emissions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: If the metric is emissions and if we can reduce them quickly by 25% by spending two days installing something cheaply for €8,000 or whatever, should the focus not be on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Electric vehicles and heat pumps will represent 13% or 15% of our electricity use. If a home can produce that electricity itself and use the car as a battery, it will support the grid. There would not just be a benefit in terms of emissions reductions, but also a grid security benefit through this capacity. Does the SEAI have conversations with the CRU and EirGrid on these matters?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Does that not mean that there is a greater incentive for the homeowner to retrofit, given that the grant is larger? There is no solar grant for people on lower incomes and the grants for solar are low compared with retrofitting. I see it as part of the package, but someone on a low income will not be able to afford solar even though it would reduce his or her energy costs by 30% or 40%...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I agree. The focus in the short term should be on installing solar panels on every low-income home free of charge before using the next eight years to retrofit and address the fabric issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: These are the homes of people who are in receipt of social welfare and, therefore, of people who are at the greatest risk. I just wanted to make that clear. It also feeds into the point about prioritising.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: Okay. I thank Dr. Byrne.