Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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490. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the energy upgrade work funded by his Department over the past four years, by county and programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3318/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Better Energy Programme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department.  The Programme consists of three main schemes: Homes, Warmer Homes and Communities.

Better Energy Homes provides a financial incentive to private homeowners who wish to improve the energy performance of their homes.  Better Energy Warmer Homes delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low income households who meet the defined eligibility criteria and who are vulnerable to energy poverty.  Better Energy Communities supports energy efficiency upgrades to mixed projects of homes, community facilities and businesses in a local community; projects under this scheme can cross county boundaries.

These schemes are supplemented by the Warmth and Wellbeing Scheme which was launched as a pilot scheme under the Government’s Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty and the Healthy Ireland Framework. The aim of the scheme, a joint policy initiative between my Department and the Department of Health, which began in 2016, is to demonstrate the positive effects that making homes warmer and more energy efficient can have on the health and wellbeing of people in energy poverty who are living with a chronic respiratory condition. An independent research project is underway alongside the scheme's delivery and will assess the impact the scheme is having. As a pilot scheme, it is currently available in Dublin as it is critical to build the capacity of the HSE public health team and allow for the level of support required by participants in this innovative project.

Table 1: spend across the Better Energy area 2014-17. 

Table 2: Number of households that availed of grants under the Better Energy Homes scheme and number of measures taken up.

Better Energy Warmer Homes

Table 3: Works provided under the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme. 

Number of Homes completed