Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 825: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to provide for the mandatory or discretionary use of solar water heaters on new homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28015/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is not proposed at this stage to make solar water heating systems mandatory in new houses. However, I intend to keep this option under review in the light of growing experience with the voluntary use of this technology in Ireland. To date, over 1,000 applications for grant assistance towards installation of solar water heating have been approved by SEI under the "Greener Homes" and "House of Tomorrow" schemes.

The amended Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Energy) of the Building Regulations set a maximum permitted CO2 emission rate, for new dwellings. Achievement of compliance with the requirement can of course be facilitated through the installation of solar water heating at the construction stage.

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 826: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to provide for the mandatory or discretionary collection and use of rainwater from the roofs of new homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28016/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is not proposed at this stage to introduce a mandatory provision, in the Building Regulations, for the collection and use of rainwater from the roofs of new dwellings.

Rainwater recovery systems have been put in place or are planned for specific social housing projects — for example, certain new dwellings included in the Ballymun regeneration scheme and in the redevelopment of York Street, Dublin. As experience of these systems increases, it will be appropriate to consider further the possibility of extending their application through use of the Building Regulations.