Results 6,341-6,360 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: Nothing speaks louder than watching the cost of energy usage add up on a screen in cent and euro while you are sitting at home and looking at it. It makes people ask why 3 kWh of electricity is being used in the house at that moment and wonder what has been left on or who is using it. The information is there for people rather than lecturing them on what the costs are or telling them not to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: I have a couple of questions. Does Deputy Ó Broin wish to come back in for a fourth round?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: We have veered into the matter of electric vehicles twice now, but it has some relevance in the development of vehicle-to-house and vehicle-to-grid-type technology. I do not know if that technology is quite there yet. Will that be incorporated into how the energy efficiency of a house is rated when the capability exists to take the energy stored in vehicles and bring it into the energy use...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: It is a two-way system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: It is a fascinating area, as is the way technology advances within a decade. We will probably look back at the recording of this meeting and say, "Of course, everybody is doing vehicle-to-grid now", but that might be in five, six or ten years. It brings me back to the matter of the construction capacity we have and the number of people we have to do this work. I am aware that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: An analysis is done of that so we do not end up with 25,000 electricians and not enough plumbers and carpenters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: There are good long-term prospects in that area. Because of the target we have of 500,000 houses and more, the work will be where people live. People will not necessarily have to travel that far for it if we are to eventually reach that target, which is encouraging. I had a brief discussion with somebody the other day about heat pumps and that person asked me about storage heaters. Are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: As renewable electricity ramps up, does that impact on the efficiency of a storage heater? If 80% of our electricity is generated by renewables, rather than 50% generated by fossil fuel as at the moment, does that make the storage heater more-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: Sorry, I misunderstood. Thanks for that. There seems to be a focus on fabric first. That seems to be the way we target the retrofitting of a home, with the wrap and the insulation. Do we run the risk that, if we focus everything on fabric first and everyone is working on that, when we then try to fit heat pumps we have capacity pressures in doing that? Is it possible to fit heat pumps...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: It is a fascinating aspect of what we are talking about. We were discussing last night, even at the planning stage, having to look at the carbon impact of what is constructed. Deputy Ó Broin covered many of the questions I was going to ask. That definitely incentivises technological advancements as well. The methodology Deputy Ó Broin was talking about of off-site construction...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Dr. Byrne. By way of background for members and those who may be watching these proceedings, regarding this recast directive, on 15 December 2021 the European Commission adopted the latest proposal to revise and recast the energy performance of buildings directive. It is part of a broader overhaul of EU climate and energy legislation, which is referred to as the Fit for 55 package....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: Thank you. I will allow a minute.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: There will always be people who will desperately resist actions on climate, environment and other aspects-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: -----but they are only heading in one direction. Despite the good work that has been done in retrofitting over the past decade or longer, we are heading into an era now of very high ambition in terms of that 500,000 homes target. The energy grant scheme that has been introduced sends a very strong signal out to the industry and the supply chains that this is where we will go in the next...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: Does Dr. Byrne wish to make a contribution?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Dr. Byrne.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Discussion (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: This is a fascinating subject and I found this meeting very interesting and informative. I thank all of our guests for their attendance. It has been very helpful to the committee. I understand we will deal with embodied carbon at our next meeting when we will continue our consideration of this subject. I also thank members for their attendance.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: 94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21329/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Policy (26 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: I welcome that. The Minister of State has identified that there is a ten-year strategy and that it will incorporate parts of the last-mile delivery concept. I will quote some figures from the World Economic Forum, which refers to the increase in online shopping and the demand for e-commerce. The forum estimates that the increase will result in 36% more delivery vehicles in inner cities by...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Transport Policy (26 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister of State. She is quite right to point out the good work being done by An Post. Any Deputy who sits on the north side of Leinster House 2000 building will note that a courier company operates there. A 40-foot truck arrives on one of the evenings in the week and all the parcels and packages in it are decanted into smaller vehicles, including e-bikes and e-trikes, like An...