Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

It gives me great pleasure to second the motion that has been proposed by Senator Butler. I thank the Senator for bringing this matter before the House. I remember he first raised this issue at a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. Senator Butler, who has spent most of his life in the building industry, has a vast knowledge of and keen personal interest in this topic. I thank him for the generosity he has shown in taking the time to give his colleagues valuable advice on this subject. Whenever I went to him I was not found wanting. He has done thorough research on it and outlined what is involved in that.

The national insulation programme was launched on 8 February and as Senator Butler said, it involves a three-pronged approach. There will be many beneficial effects for people both inside and outside the industry, suppliers and so on. Senator Butler outlined the number of jobs the programme will create, which is important, and spoke about alternative energy projects such as solar panels. He explained to me on another occasion how that can be done. That will save consumers up to 50% in energy costs.

The public is very aware of the programme. I attended a meeting one night recently at which I distributed hand-outs on the programme. That was the document everybody wanted. There were 70 people at the meeting and I ran out of them. That indicates there is genuine interest in the programme and it has created an awareness among householders of savings on the cost of energy.

We raised the cost of gas with the Minister in the House last week — people's bills doubled after Christmas — and the cost of electricity. That has an impact on small businesses in particular. They have found it very difficult to continue in business due to the constraints being put on them by the high cost of energy, and electricity in particular.

I welcomed the news yesterday that Bord Gáis is reducing its charges and has entered into a programme for electricity supply. Senator O'Reilly said last week that Bord Gáis should be in a competitive position in terms of electricity supply. I do not know if the Senator had inside information but it announced that this morning. That is welcome news and it was necessary for that to be done.

As the Senator outlined also, a great deal of energy is wasted in homes which people are only realising now. It can be lost through the roof due to inadequate insulation. There is insulation in houses for the past 50 or 60 years that was never upgraded. Lagging jackets is another issue. Even in my home I notice there is not a proper lagging jacket on the boiler. Energy efficient bulbs are available which last 50 times longer than standard bulbs. They are cheaper and they use less electricity. All those areas are embodied in this measure.

Another matter about which Senator O'Reilly and myself often speak is alternative energy, which is connected to this issue. In other countries households provide their own electricity by way of windmills. Senator O'Reilly told me it is costly to maintain them but these are the areas we should examine. We should examine the possibility of harnessing our rivers and streams——