Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important issue and for the opportunity to give an update on the criteria for home energy upgrades on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The Government funds a number of grant schemes, as the Senator knows, to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. These are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Last February Government launched a range of new measures to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades. This included the launch of the new national home energy upgrade scheme, which provides increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard.This included the launch of the new national home energy upgrade scheme, which provides increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 building energy rating, BER, standard. This scheme is available for privately-owned homes built and occupied before 2011. Homes upgraded under the scheme must reach a post-works BER rating of B2 or better and deliver a minimum energy uplift of 100 kWh per square metre per year. Non-corporate landlords and approved housing bodies, AHBs, are eligible for the scheme.

The better energy warmer homes scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low-income households vulnerable to energy poverty. In order to qualify for support, applicants must own and live in their home, which must have been built and occupied before 2006. They must be in receipt of certain social welfare payments. The scheme is currently available to households in receipt of fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme; jobseeker's allowance for more than six months and have a child aged under seven years; family income supplement; one-parent family payment; domiciliary care allowance; carer's allowance where a person lives with the person he or she is caring for; and disability allowance for more than six months and have a child under seven years of age.

A number of reforms to this scheme were announced by the Government earlier this year. Changes included allowing applications from qualifying homeowners who previously received supports under the scheme but could still benefit from deeper upgrade measures. This means that homeowners will not be precluded from applying for a second time for qualifying works not previously carried out on their properties. The scheme will also target the worst performing properties by prioritising homes that were built and occupied before 1993 and have a pre-works BER of E, F or G. Existing applications will not be affected by this change.

Under the better energy homes scheme, grants are provided to homeowners and non-corporate landlords who want to take a step-by-step approach to upgrading their homes. For fabric measures such as insulation, homes must be built and occupied prior to 2011. For heat pumps or solar thermal measures, changes were introduced this year to broaden the criteria meaning homes built and occupied before 2021 are now eligible for these measures.

The community energy grant scheme supports cross-sectoral and community-orientated partnership approaches that deliver energy savings to a range of building types, including public, commercial and community buildings, and has a particular focus on using the projects to deliver home retrofits. Under this scheme, homeowners apply for grant support through a project co-ordinator who then manages the delivery of the retrofit project on behalf of the homeowner. Similar to the national home energy upgrade scheme, this scheme is available for privately-owned homes built and occupied before 2011. Homes upgraded under the scheme must reach a post-works BER rating of B2 or better and must deliver a minimum energy uplift of 100 kWh per square metre per year. Non-corporate landlords and approved housing bodies are eligible for the scheme. As the Senator will know, demand for these schemes has been exceptionally strong following the changes announced earlier this year. I will give further detail in this regard in my closing statement.

If I may have a little latitude, I will mention the house that was built but not completed in 2006. I will bring that matter back to the Minister.