Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 770: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress made to date on investing in the better home schemes for the retrofitting of homes as outlined in the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs; his plans to retrofit public buildings across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19336/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Programme. The Better Energy Programme is in line with the key criteria governing the Government's investment priorities and is consistent with the Programme for Government's objectives, and in particular its Action Plan for Jobs. The Government has committed significant Exchequer funding of €76 million to the Better Energy Programme in 2012 and expenditure on the programme to date this year is €17.716 million. The Programme will continue to support the sustainable employment of at least 4,500 jobs in 2012.

Better Energy: Homes encourages homeowners to improve the energy performance of their homes through incentives with over 120,000 homes completed since the scheme launched in May 2009. Better Energy: Warmer Homes aims to address households identified as being in extreme energy poverty as a priority, those households identified as spending over 20% of their disposable income on energy services. To date, energy efficiency improvements in over 80,000 homes have been made under Better Energy: Warmer Homes.

The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) commits to achieving 20% energy savings across the economy by 2020. As part of this energy efficiency drive, the Government has also committed to achieving a 33% energy saving across our public sector institutions by 2020. The Better Energy: Workplaces Programme disbursed €11 million in 2011 to co-finance 85 projects in the public, commercial, industrial and community sectors. This leveraged additional investment of €34 million, securing estimated savings of 270GWh and abatement of 63,000 tonnes of CO2 . Estimated annual monetary savings are €11 million.

A new phase of Better Energy: Workplaces was launched in March 2012, providing a capital fund of €7.5 million to support sustainable energy upgrades to existing buildings, services, facilities and processes, in the public, commercial, industrial and community sectors. The programme is aimed at achieving ongoing and lasting energy savings. Projects entailing upgrades to thermal, electrical or transport energy performance are all considered eligible. Public sector projects are particularly encouraged in order to assist in meeting the public sector energy efficiency improvement target in 2020.

The SEAI's Public Sector Programme was established in 2009 to provide a range of integrated supports to help public sector organisations realise valuable energy savings and work towards the 33% target. The SEAI is continuing to develop best practice guidance materials and has facilitated specialist workshops on matters such as public street lighting, water services, and ICT. To monitor progress to this target SEAI is also developing a database for monitoring and reporting progress across the public sector.