Results 3,481-3,500 of 6,802 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

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

Darren O'Rourke: I have a number of questions and I will try to get through them as quickly as I can. On the warmer homes scheme, the target is 4,800 and Dr. Byrne said 3,200 homes had been done up to the end of September. How many of those are to B2 or B2 equivalent? I will ask Mr. Randles, our head of delivery, to address that question.

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

Darren O'Rourke: Does Mr. Randles expect to hit the 4,800 figure at the end of December?

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

Darren O'Rourke: In regard to the overall target, the Minister said at the end of August that the overall target is 27,800 for this year. Is that correct?

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

Darren O'Rourke: At the end of August, there were 13,400. How many have been done up to the end of September?

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

Darren O'Rourke: How many of those are B2 or B2 equivalent? Some 4,200 is the figure the Minister gave at the end of August.

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

Darren O'Rourke: How are the one-stop shops performing or delivering at this stage? I know there is high demand but are they delivering retrofits?

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

Darren O'Rourke: On what scale?

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

Darren O'Rourke: The level of inflation is a concern. What rate of inflation is currently being reported in this sector? Do the witnesses consider it to be a deterrent? I know people for whom it is a deterrent. They engaged but the cost of the work was beyond their expectation and their means. What level of inflation is being reported on these works?

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

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Dr. Byrne. On the most recent occasion the witnesses appeared before the committee, they were conducting a study on whether heat pumps can be installed in homes with lower BERs. Has that study concluded or is it near conclusion?

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

Darren O'Rourke: I have a number of quick questions for our guests. We are aiming for 6,600 solar roof installations by the end of the year and 7,500 retrofits to a rating of B2. Do we know how many of the 7,500 retrofits to B2 standard will be achieved by the installation of solar panels alone? How many of the retrofits to a B2 standard were, or will be, achieved by solar panels alone?

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

Darren O'Rourke: Does anyone have that figure?

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

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Randles. I have been contacted by people who are engaging with the better energy communities scheme, particularly for businesses that want to use solar energy to reduce their energy bills. There are questions about what they see as shifting goalposts in respect of the guidelines that are coming in. Are the witnesses aware of that issue? Has it been resolved? Has there been a...

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

Darren O'Rourke: Okay.

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

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. O'Mahony. I have his point.

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

Darren O'Rourke: I am tight for time but I have Mr. O'Mahony's point. What is the total number of households in the private rental sector that have availed of SEAI retrofit grants this year? I expect that there are particular challenges for the private rented sector. What is that figure? Are there plans to improve on it?

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

Darren O'Rourke: I see that as a problem in and of itself. Since the introduction of these schemes, one of the concerns has been that renters will be left behind. Dr. Byrne mentioned earlier that SEAI has every level of detail. That is fundamental information that would need to be captured in applications. I see a number of themes in the questions asked by both the Government and the Opposition. Some...

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

Darren O'Rourke: The question is about the targeting of the resource and delivering efficiently and effectively. The point has been repeatedly made about the low-hanging fruit of shallow retrofits. All the incentives are to move into deeper retrofits that are incredibly slow.

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

Darren O'Rourke: I have a number of quick questions. The case has been made on delivery, picking up on a number of points already made, that if we got the plan-led approach in district heating on residential and commercial planning, that we could deliver homes more cheaply and more quickly. Industry has said that if it took that approach with district heating, homes could be delivered more cheaply, and 14...

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

Darren O'Rourke: This will also be in respect of delivering new homes and local area plans. If we employed district heating for the new homes to be built, they could then be delivered more cost effectively and in a quicker timeframe because one is then taking a plan-led approach as opposed to repeated individual connections.

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

Darren O'Rourke: Returning again to that point of low-hanging fruit and achieving quick results, I am minded that both the Climate Change Advisory Council and others such as Friends of the Earth have said that at this point in time, we need to get attic and wall insulation, in particular, delivered at scale for this winter. They talked about the need to provide not 80% but 100% grants. Is that a case that...