Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government and the Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2/cost optimal and to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings over the next 10 years. Some €221.5 million in capital funding has been provided this year for SEAI residential and community retrofit schemes.  This represents an 82% increase on the 2020 allocation and is the largest amount ever for the schemes.  Of this amount, €109 million is allocated to provide free upgrades for lower income households with the balance of €112.5 million to be spent on expanding existing SEAI grant schemes and introducing new initiatives. One such initiative is the National Home Retrofit Scheme (One Stop Shop Development Call). This new support scheme is designed to encourage the development of retrofit One-Stop-Shops, to support home retrofit on a larger scale, and support the growth of the retrofitting industry.  The scheme facilitates home upgrades for private households, registered Housing Associations and Local Authorities who wish to participate in delivering home energy efficiency upgrades.  More details of this scheme, which has been well received by the market, are available on the SEAI website at www.seai.ie/grants/national-home-retrofit/National-Home-Retrofit-Scheme-Guidelines.pdf

My Department is also currently working with SEAI to develop other initiatives including a further scheme that will facilitate the retrofitting of homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2, at scale and managed by one stop shops.  It is intended to launch the scheme later this year.