Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 394: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if, in view of the significant energy loss through substandard windows, he will include grant aid for replacement of these under the recently announced house insulation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16316/09]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 399: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position with regard to funding for the new home insulation grant scheme, recently announced under the National Insulation Programme; the reason specific classification and funding was allocated separately to middle income families and low income and local authority housing with both categories receiving €50 million in grants; and the reason for this classification. [16611/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 399 together.

The National Insulation Programme for Economic Recovery represents a three-pronged approach to addressing the legacy of older housing with poor energy efficiency standards. The Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme is the largest element of the Programme with a budget of €49 million in 2009 and is open to all homeowners of houses built prior to 2006. The Scheme provides grant assistance to homeowners for attic and wall insulation, efficient boilers and heating controls. These measures were selected for inclusion in the scheme, with the assistance of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), which has built up a considerable expertise on residential energy efficiency matters as part of their statutory remit and in light of the pilot phase of the scheme in 2008. SEI recommended these measures as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners at the least cost.

Replacement windows are not currently eligible for grant assistance under the scheme. My Department and SEI will, however, be keeping the scheme under review including the scope for adding other measures to the Scheme subject to budgetary and technical considerations.

Whilst grant aid of up 40% of the typical cost of energy efficiency upgrade is available under the HES Scheme, it is the case that homeowners are still required to finance the remaining proportion of any work carried out and that affordability is a key issue for many. The second element of the Programme, the Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS), assists private households on low incomes, such as those in receipt of Fuel Allowance, Invalidity or Disability Benefit. The WHS provides for the installation of a range of energy efficiency measures, including cavity wall insulation, attic insulation, boiler lagging jackets, draught proofing measures and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). Advice is also provided to householders on minimising energy use. The WHS provides these measures free or at a nominal cost to the householder. The WHS has funds available to it of €20 million in 2009. This greatly increased level of funding is expected to support energy efficiency interventions in up to 15,000 low income homes this year alone.

The third strand of the National Insulation Programme for Economic Recovery involves the retrofitting of insulation and other measures to improve the energy efficiency in local authority housing stock. I understand that proposals for the implementation of this element of the programme are at an advanced stage of development and an announcement by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is expected shortly.