Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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270. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will reinstate a Government grant towards the installation of underfloor heating in a home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2370/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Between 2006 to 2011 the Greener Homes scheme, operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), offered grants for the installation of a range of heating systems which included solar thermal, heat pumps, both ground and air sourced, biomass boilers and wood gasification. The choice of heat emitters within a home i.e. radiators, under floor or other method, was up to the individual homeowner and was not grant supported. Therefore, I am not aware of any grants previously offered by my Department or the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) towards the installation of under floor heating.

Through SEAI, my Department continues to offer a range of grants to householders under the Better Energy Homes Scheme. These grants concentrate on the upgrade of the energy efficiency of a home. By upgrading the energy efficiency of a home a householder needs to use less energy to achieve their desired level of comfort and warmth regardless of heating type. This lowers energy bills for the householder and reduces Ireland's carbon emissions.

Within the Better Energy Homes scheme, a grant of €700 is made available to people who wish to upgrade their oil or gas boiler together with heating controls. This grant is made available to incentivise householders to replace an ageing boiler with a newer, more efficient model and requires that the householder installs heating controls. I have asked SEAI to conduct a review of the technologies that are currently supported through the Better Energy Homes scheme and consider whether grant support should be offered for a wider range of energy upgrades. I expect SEAI to report back to me later this year. Any changes to the scheme that are warranted will be operational in 2018.