Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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Question 340: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of homes in County Meath that have been approved for work under warmer home scheme; if he will provide a breakdown of each of the type of work being done on homes in County Meath; the average waiting time after grant approval in County Meath for the work to be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31287/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The low income housing / energy poverty strand of Better Energy aims to provide energy efficiency improvements to low-income homes unable to afford the cost of implementing such measures. 'Better Energy: Warmer Homes' delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to households that are vulnerable to energy poverty. The scheme is managed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and delivered through a range of Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors. Due to the mixed delivery model and variations across CBOs, the number of measures available to particular homes can vary from region to region.

To date, energy efficiency improvements in over 73,000 homes have been made under Better Energy: Warmer Homes. In 2010, 24,291 homes benefitted under the scheme, including 954 homes in County Meath. 13,313 homes have been improved to the end of September 2011, including 238 homes in County Meath. The measures installed include attic and cavity wall insulation, draught proofing, hot water cylinder lagging jacket and CFLs. Homeowners are also given energy advice. In 2011 to date, 225 homes in County Meath received attic insulation, 104 homes received cavity wall insulation and 172 homes received draught proofing.

There has been a significant uptake in applications and interest in the scheme over the last three years. The success of the scheme in 2010 led to increased awareness and demand, and a subsequent increase in waiting times. There are currently 11,223 homes nationwide on the Better Energy: Warmer Homes waiting list, of which 214 are in County Meath. While the waiting time for measures may vary, depending on demand and the CBOs and contractor capacity for that particular area, SEAI are working towards a six-month timeframe for service delivery. SEAI is currently working with the CBOs and private contractors to prioritise delivery in the coming months to those homes which have been waiting for the longest period, subject to resource availability.