Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 332: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the recommendations made to the Department of Finance regarding the allocation of €75 million for energy efficiency schemes made in February 2009; the capacity of Sustainable Energy Ireland to process them; the measures taken to ensure that this funding was processed; the way in which he intends to ensure that the €130 million allocated for 2010 for energy efficiency will actually be spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48206/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Of the additional €75 million provided in 2009 for labour intensive investment in home insulation and energy efficiency measures, €20 million was allocated to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for investment in social housing energy efficiency. €55 million was allocated to a number of energy efficiency schemes administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), namely the Home Energy Saving Scheme, Warmer Homes Scheme and a new Scheme of Supports for Exemplar Energy Efficiency Projects (SEEEP) for the business and public sectors. Subsequent to the additional allocations to these schemes my Department contributed to the capital savings required of all Departments, which resulted in some reduction in the allocations in question.

SEI drew down most of the funds allocated for the Warmer Homes and SEEEP Schemes. The Home Energy Saving Scheme was launched at the end of March 2009 and by the end of the year SEI will have made grant offers to householders totalling over €45 million, some 96% of the allocated funding. The scheme has already proven successful, with 34,000 households currently approved in the first nine months. Approved applicants have six months in which to undertake the works and draw down the grant. The time lag between grant offer and spend meant that it was autumn before a significant level of drawdown commenced. The level of commitments in place and the ongoing level of new applications being received point to a very significant spend under the scheme in 2010.

Of the €130 million allocated for energy efficiency investments in 2010, some €90 million approximately relates to schemes operated by SEI on behalf of my Department. The level of commitments under the Home Energy Saving Scheme, the high interest in the scheme and the planned expansion of other energy efficiency schemes, should assist drawdown of the allocation for 2010.