Written answers

Thursday, 18 June 2009

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Fuel Poverty

6:00 am

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on whether the 300,000 people estimated to be living in fuel poverty are not reached by the warmer homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24069/09]

Photo of Ciarán LynchCiarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps he is taking to combat the growing numbers of people in fuel poverty; when he will publish the findings of the fuel poverty action research project; when this was first due for publication; if he has ensured that adequate funding has been given to the Combat Poverty Agency to complete their report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24067/09]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 58 together.

The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of institutional supports and investment in improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock. I am working closely with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to deliver a fully cohesive approach across Government.

I established, last year, an Inter Departmental/Agency Group led by my Department and the Department for Social and Family Affairs, and which also includes the Departments of Finance, Taoiseach, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and Health and Children, the Commission for Energy Regulation, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), ESB and BGE and the Institute of Public Health. The Group is also liaising with relevant groups and agencies in Northern Ireland.

This intensive cooperation and coordinated working by all the relevant Departments, agencies and the utilities is ensuring the effective delivery of a comprehensive approach to addressing energy affordability.

The most recent research figures available on fuel poverty in Ireland are contained in a recent working paper by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). There are a variety of ways to measure fuel poverty including the proportion of household expenditure on fuel, the condition of the house and the subjective view of occupants about their energy needs.

The ESRI estimates that using the expenditure method, over 300,000 or 19.4% of Irish households may have experienced fuel poverty in 2008. Alternatively, using the subjective method, over 68,000 or 4.6% of households reported that they could not afford to heat their homes adequately. There are many alternative definitions and measurements of fuel poverty. The Government's own working definition is the inability to afford adequate warmth in a home or the inability to achieve adequate warmth because the home is not energy efficient. By assisting vulnerable homes through the Warmer Homes Scheme to become more energy efficient, my Department, through SEI, is tackling one of the root causes of fuel poverty.

The Warmer Homes Scheme is administered by SEI and delivered by community based organisations (CBOs), which work in partnership with their local network of poverty and community support organisations, including public health nurses, Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and St Vincent De Paul, to identify and address the energy needs of vulnerable homes. The scheme provides structural energy efficiency improvements to private homes in, or at risk of, fuel poverty. These measures include insulation, boiler lagging jackets, energy efficient lighting and draft proofing measures.

To date, energy efficiency improvements in almost 24,000 homes have been made under the Warmer Homes Scheme. Some €20 million has been provided for the scheme in 2009, which includes €5 million being provided between ESB and BGE. This will enable structural improvements to be made to at least 15,000 homes this year. This represents a very significant up-scaling of the Scheme and is indicative of the Government's commitment to the problems of energy affordability.

The Warmer Homes Scheme is designed to assist non-local authority homes only. The Fitzpatrick Report published by SEI in 2003 estimated that of those in or at risk of fuel poverty, one third lived in local authority homes. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, together with Local Authorities, provides separate services to upgrade the energy efficiency of social housing. Over the past four years, that Department has provided some €125 million to support the installation of central heating, and associated thermal insulation measures, in 25,650 local authority dwellings. A further €14 million has been set aside in 2009 to complete the programme and is expected to deliver improvements in over 2,000 dwellings.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has also set aside some €25 million for 2 initiatives designed to address fuel poverty in local authority dwellings, as well as contributing to the overall improvement in the energy efficiency of local authority stock. Of this, €20 million has already been allocated to local authorities to improve the energy efficiency of vacant dwellings, or apartment complexes, to a Building Energy rating (BER) standard of C1. The other €5 million has been set aside to support a number of demonstration projects that will achieve a BER rating in excess of C1 and will inform the future improvement of the overall local authority stock.

The Fuel Poverty Action Research Project was established by Combat Poverty and SEI to inform the future directions of energy efficiency programmes for vulnerable households. The project involved a rigorous assessment of the energy, environmental, thermal comfort and health benefits of the Warmer Homes Scheme. I understand that completion of the report was delayed by the accidental loss of some key interview data. To ensure the integrity of the analysis, these interviews had to be repeated. Funding was not a factor in this delay. Combat Poverty is currently finalising the report and I am informed that it will be published for consultation towards the end of July.

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