Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Warmth and Well-being scheme is a pilot scheme which aims to measure the health and well-being impacts of improving the energy efficiency of a person’s home. The scheme is being piloted in Community Healthcare Organisation 7 and is open to people aged 55 and over or aged 12 and under who are living with chronic respiratory conditions in households that are in receipt of the Fuel Allowance or the One-Parent Family Payment.The Warmth and Well-being scheme is a joint policy initiative between my Department and the Department of Health under the Healthy Ireland framework. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive are working together to deliver the scheme. The HSE have set up a dedicated team to recruit participants to the Warmth and Well-being scheme. They determine eligibility for every person who makes contact with them about the scheme before referring only the eligible applicants to the SEAI. The scheme is being piloted in CHO 7 to build the capacity of the dedicated team that the HSE has been able to establish there. The HSE Warmth and Well-being team have visited 765 homes to date.

I have allocated €20m to the pilot scheme under the Government’s Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty. An independent research project will assess the impact the scheme is having. At the conclusion of the scheme, and with independent evidence on its effectiveness, the potential for a wider roll-out will be considered. The funding to the scheme should provide for the upgrade of at least 1,500 homes. This is the minimum size needed to develop the evidence base on the impact on the health outcomes of participants of making their homes more energy efficient and warmer, and make the business case for a wider roll-out of the scheme.

To date 395 homes have received upgrades to their homes under the scheme. A further 142 homes have upgrade works on-going and another 115 homes are awaiting an SEAI survey before works can begin. There is a further waiting list with the HSE who will shortly be referred to the SEAI for surveys. The scheme is still open for applications and will continue to run in 2018.

The Deputy may also be aware that the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme is available on a nationwide basis to low income households who are at risk of energy poverty. More information on this scheme is available on SEAI’s website at: l or Freephone: 1800 250 204