Written answers

Tuesday, 16 May 2017

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Energy Schemes

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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524. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the better energy warmer homes schemes; if his attention has been drawn to this situation; and his plans to change the criteria to address this situation. [22903/17]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme provides energy efficiency upgrades completely free of charge to people who meet the eligibility criteria. Typical measures that are provided include attic and cavity wall insulation, low energy light bulbs, lagging jackets and energy advice. To date, the scheme has upgraded more than 120,000 homes throughout the country.  

Since the scheme is 100% Exchequer financed I must balance the depth of the renovations that the scheme can offer against the number of people the scheme can help each year. The cost to the State of the average home upgrade under the Warmer Homes scheme is around €2,500. External wall insulation can cost between €10,000 to €20,000 per home, depending on the size of the home in question. As such, providing external wall insulation to every home with solid walls would mean the scheme would be helping much fewer people each year.

As I announced at the Energy Poverty Conference in March, the Warmer Homes scheme is being expanded to offer deeper renovations on a limited basis to those people living in the worst performing homes in terms of energy efficiency.

Every person who applies to the Warmer Homes scheme has their home surveyed by a professional contractor working on behalf of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). When those surveyors find an applicant who is living in a home that is in a particularly poor condition they will recommend the person for a deeper set of measures. The measures that will be recommended will depend on what the surveyor finds. However, in general, the surveyors will look at factors including the age of the home, the construction of the wall, the age of the heating system or whether such a system is in place.  SEAI are currently recruiting contractors to deliver these deeper measures and I expect works to start this July.

I have also amended that scheme so that applicants who received measures under the scheme previously and meet the scheme's current eligibility criteria will now be able to receive cavity wall insulation if it is deemed suitable for their home by an SEAI appointed technical surveyor.  

I would also note that the Warmth & Wellbeing pilot scheme is currently operating in the Deputy's constituency. Under this scheme, people over 55 or families with children up to 12 who are suffering from an acute respiratory condition such as COPD or asthma can apply for a deep energy efficiency upgrade. The upgrades available under Warmth & Wellbeing are deeper than the standard Warmer Homes measures and include external wall insulation, boiler and heating system replacement and windows and doors where appropriate. In each case the actual upgrade provided will depend on an SEAI professional assessment of the home.

The aim of the Warmth & Wellbeing scheme is to gather evidence on the multiple benefits that energy efficiency can bring such as decreased health costs, improved wellbeing and better social inclusion. It is by gathering the evidence for these wider benefits of energy efficiency that we can continue to build the case for increased investment through programmes like Warmer Homes and Warmth & Wellbeing. I urge the Deputy to bring this scheme to the attention of her constituents.

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