Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the new initiatives he will promote and encourage energy efficiency in view of the recently announced and substantial increase gas prices; the long-term measures which are in place for such promotion and encouragement of energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27924/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, which was established as a statutory agency in May 2002, implements a wide variety of programmes on energy efficiency and renewable energy on behalf of my Department. In addition to providing advice and supporting networks of efficiency minded organisations and companies, it funds pilot and exemplary projects that deploy energy efficient technologies and are based on renewables.

Regular reviews are conducted on all SEI's funding programmes. Factors entering any such consideration include the establishment of consumer product standards, supplier capability and installation quality assurance systems appropriate to consumer markets. This is in addition to the core requirements of energy and CO2 saving impact, market impact potential, administrative efficiency and ultimately, value for money for the taxpayer.

Energy price increases are a strong stimulus to us to look at how much and how we use fuels. There are three main ways to reduce our energy demand: eliminating waste, cutting back on demand and using fuels more efficiently. Every stage of every process, whether industrial, commercial or domestic, will yield efficiencies when examined and all these savings will aggregate to form a substantial total. Even while preserving our economic growth, energy efficiency will allow us to reduce our energy demand meaning a saving on fuel import bills, a contribution to our Kyoto commitment on greenhouse gases and a payback to the Exchequer and to individuals.

I am keen to see a wider take up of energy efficient technology in buildings, industry and transport. While many of the measures involved are self-financing, with payback periods of as little as two or three years, I am looking at what incentives might be needed to improve the rate of take-up and use. For example, increasing the energy efficiency of our building stock reduces our energy imports, reduces our CO2 emissions and saves money for the individual household and for the Exchequer.