Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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205. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the price obtained by local authorities for building energy rating certificates from energy distributors and retail energy sales companies under the energy efficiency obligation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9480/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I refer to the reply to Question No. 265 of 5 February 2015 which sets out my Department's contribution to improving energy efficiency in social housing stock. Building Energy Rating (BER) certificates are produced following an assessment carried out by trained and qualified BER Assessors who are registered with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. My Department does not maintain details of prices obtained by local authorities for building energy rating certificates. It is understood that under the European Union (Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme) Regulations 2014, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources may issue energy efficiency notices to energy suppliers which detail energy efficiency savings targets that the energy supplier must achieve in order to avoid penalties. I understand that Energy Suppliers can elect to meet their energy savings targets in a variety of ways and that Energy Suppliers may be given credit for energy efficiency measures they undertake in a social housing context provided that such measures are additional to any measures which would otherwise occur under the social housing investment programme or any other publicly funded scheme. I am satisfied that local authorities are aware of this potential additional source of investment in energy efficiency of social housing stock but my Department has no information on the take up of the scheme.