Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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1770. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if a person (details supplied) can qualify for further grant aid; if some method of insulation can be provided under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27636/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme provides energy efficiency upgrades free of charge to people who meet the eligibility criteria. Typical measures available under the scheme include attic and cavity wall insulation, draught proofing, lagging jackets and low energy light bulbs.The measures currently offered under the Warmer Homes schemes were selected as the best balance that could be achieved between the resources that the Exchequer can provide to the scheme, the number of homes that can receive support and the energy savings that can be delivered. In short, the measures supported are those that can deliver the most energy savings at the lowest cost to the highest number of people.

External insulation while effective at insulating homes not suitable for cavity wall insulation, typically costs multiples that of cavity wall insulation. For example, under the Better Energy Homes scheme, the grant available for cavity wall insulation is €300. For the external insulation of a detached home it is €4,500. Therefore providing external insulation under the Warmer Homes scheme would mean that much fewer people could benefit from the scheme each year.

However, with the additional resources I have secured in the Budget for energy efficiency this year, SEAI are now providing a limited number of deep retrofits to the homes of those people who are living in the poorest homes. Every person who applies to the Warmer Homes scheme has their home surveyed by a professional contractor. 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. What measures 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 where one is absent. SEAI are currently recruiting contractors to deliver these deeper measures and I expect works to start this July .