Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 432: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason the minimum grant available under the home energy saving scheme has to exceed €500 in view of the fact that many interested parties only want to ensure that their attic is insulated and the importance that such work is carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25003/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Home Energy Saving Scheme, which I launched in February, has funding of €49m in 2009. Already over 12,000 householders have been approved for grant aid under the scheme and there is potential for up to 30,000 householders to benefit from the range of energy efficient measures available by the end of the year.

It is important to strike an appropriate balance between value for money in relation to the cost of the investment in delivering energy efficiency savings measures and the value of those energy savings to the economy. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has put in place a requirement that applicants to the scheme install measures attracting a minimum grant payment of €500. The administrative cost to SEI of processing grants under the Scheme is relatively fixed, regardless of the amount of the grant payment concerned. SEI has worked to keep the administrative costs of the scheme as low as possible.

The administrative cost of disbursing grants for relatively low cost measures such as attic insulation would be unacceptably high if these were permitted on their own. It is likely that many householders would return to the scheme at a later date seeking support for other measures, giving rise to multiple administrative charges on the scheme. The minimum grant threshold is designed to ensure value for money to the Exchequer, while encouraging homeowners to take a holistic approach from the outset to improving the energy efficiency of their homes.