Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the breakdown of successful better energy warmer home applicants by local authority in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8065/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme delivers free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners in low income households who are most at risk of energy poverty. It is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Since the start of the scheme in 2000, over 143,000 free upgrades have been supported by the scheme. In 2021, the average cost of the energy efficiency measures provided per household had increased significantly to €17,100.

A budget allocation of €109 million has been provided for this scheme this year. This will support an increase in the number of free home upgrades, from an average of 177 per month in 2021 to 400 per month this year, helping to reduce waiting times.

SEAI does not maintain data on successful applicants by Local Authority area in Dublin. However, the following table contains information on homes completed in Dublin under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme in the past five years:

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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219. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps he has taken to ensure that homes which are deemed to be protected structures will be able to avail of the national retrofit scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8068/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action Plan and the National Retrofit Plan identify the important contribution the retrofit of buildings needs to make in delivering on our national and international climate goals.

My Department funds a number of grant schemes to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Enhancements to these schemes were announced last week with the launch of the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme.

These schemes are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and may be applicable to homes that are protected structures. Grants for protected structures are available in certain circumstances subject to the scheme eligibility criteria and terms and conditions being met. Detailed information on the grants and eligibility criteria is available at www.seai.ie.

Protected structures are for the most part a subset of buildings categorised as traditionally built buildings. These tend to be stone or brick buildings which were designed to be vapour permeable and were mostly constructed before 1940. It is important that the materials and techniques used in energy efficiency upgrades of traditional buildings are suitable for the buildings in question including for use with vapour permeable construction where applicable. For example a stone wall with lime based mortar will need a lime based plaster render to remain vapour permeable.

Central policy responsibility for protected structures and listed buildings is a matter for the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage. To support the proper upgrade of traditional buildings, including applicable listed buildings, a new Guidance Document - “Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings” is being developed by that Department. My Department and the SEAI are participating in the steering group overseeing the project. The objective is to finalise the guidance having regard to submissions received in the pubic consultation process with a view to publishing it this year.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way that apartment owners will qualify for the revised home energy upgrade scheme; if applications can be made by multi-units to enhance the efficiency of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8069/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government has approved a package of supports as part of the delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

Included in these measures is the establishment of the new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offering increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump (up from the current level of 30-35%).

The new grant rates available for relevant measures under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme will also be available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme and the Community Energy Grant Scheme. This will help to ensure that homeowners are clear about which grant scheme is most appropriate to their needs.

The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme is a demand-led initiative that introduces a new way to undertake home energy upgrades with One-Stop-Shops providing an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying the home; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors to deliver the work; and quality assuring the work.

Homes, built and occupied pre-2011, and owned by private homeowners, non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies are eligible for the scheme. Individual apartments can receive support across the range of schemes.

It is also worth noting that a key feature of the new one stop shop model is that it will bring together groups of homes for aggregated projects thereby creating efficiencies in delivery and developing new innovation in processes and technologies.

More broadly, officials of my Department will be working with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to separately consider the best approach to deal with apartment buildings that are multi-unit buildings with common areas, rather than individual units. This will be investigated in 2022 to consider approaches to support whole building solutions.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way that homeowners that are participants in the defective concrete blocks scheme can avail of the home energy upgrade scheme; the way that the scheme will be rolled out to them in view of the level of work already going to be carried out on their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8070/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal level and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes by end-2030. This represents approximately 30% of the housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide.

Recognising that the achievement of these targets will require a step-change in the pace and scale of delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, the Government has approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

The key measures include:

- A new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme providing increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard (up from 30%-35% grants currently).

- Establishment of a network of registered One Stop Shops to offer a new, start-to-finish project management service, including access to financing, for home energy upgrades.

- Increases in grant levels for certain measures under the Better Energy Home scheme and Community - A special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, to urgently reduce energy use as part of the government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices.

- The year of construction rule will also be amended as follows to bring the scheme into alignment with other relevant SEAI schemes.

Participants in the defective blocks scheme can also apply for SEAI funding in line with the relevant eligibility criteria for the Schemes. Full details are available from the SEAI on 1850 250 204 or their website at: www.seai.ie/grants/

The defective blocks scheme is the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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222. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if homeowners that have made energy upgrade investments in recent years will be able to avail of refunds given the increased level of supports now available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8071/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) manage a number of residential and community energy upgrade grant support schemes on behalf of my Department. These schemes have terms and conditions in place to ensure the transparent administration of public monies. Achieving this requires that the processes and systems are clear and efficient and operate in a manner which is clear and fair to all applicants. As a publicly funded programme, the rules around grant application must be adhered to by SEAI in all cases.

Homeowners who have previously availed of grant support through the SEAI under the terms and conditions at the time will not be entitled to retrospective refunds. The recent Government decision to provide enhanced grant assistance for residential retrofitting measures is to incentivise future behaviour.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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223. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason that disincentives for landlords not retrofitting their houses were not included in the new National Retrofit Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8166/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government has approved a package of supports as part of the delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

These new measures include:

- The establishment of the new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offering increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump (up from the current level of 30-35%).

- Establishment of a network of registered One Stop Shops to offer a hassle-free, start-to-finish project management service, including access to financing, for home energy upgrades.

- A special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, to urgently reduce energy use as part of the government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices.

I recognise that rental properties can present a specific challenge for energy efficiency improvements. This is an issue found in most countries where the incentives to invest in energy upgrades can be misaligned between landlords and tenants. Therefore, homes, built and occupied pre-2011, and owned by non-corporate landlords are eligible for these new measures. This will mean that the national housing stock is upgraded and tenants get lower energy bills and a more comfortable place to live.

It is also intended that non-corporate landlords will be able to avail of the planned low-cost loan scheme for retrofit when it is launched later this year.

Furthermore, the Housing for All Strategy which is being implemented by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage includes a commitment to introduce minimum energy standards for rental properties from 2025.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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224. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated number of households that will apply for the attic and cavity wall insulation scheme in the new National Retrofit Scheme in each of the years 2022 to 2026; the estimated budget for the programme in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8167/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government has approved a package of supports as part of the delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

Included in these measures is the introduction of a special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation. The grant offering will be available across all part-funded schemes and will be available to all households in 2022, as a sustainable and enduring response to the current exceptionally high energy prices.

Funding for the initiative will be met from within the overall funding allocation of €267 million for the SEAI for residential and community retrofit schemes 2022. Decisions on the level of funding for the initiative in future years will be considered as part of the annual Estimates process.

The special enhanced grant rate is a demand-led initiative and I expect strong interest among homeowners to avail of these energy upgrade measures this year.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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225. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated number of households that will apply for the deep retrofit scheme in the new National Retrofit Scheme in each of the years 2022 to 2026; the estimated budget for the programme in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8168/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government has approved a package of supports as part of the delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

Included in these measures is the establishment of the new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offering increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump (up from the current level of 30-35%).

This new, demand-led, scheme introduces a new way to undertake home energy upgrades with One-Stop-Shops providing an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying the home; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors to deliver the work; and, quality assuring the work.

Homes, built and occupied pre-2011, and owned by private homeowners, non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies are eligible for the scheme.

A total of €267 million (of which €202 million is carbon tax receipts and €55 million from the Energy Efficiency National Fund) has been allocated for SEAI residential and community retrofit schemes and the Solar PV scheme in 2022. The largest allocation within the 2022 financial envelope - €109m - relates to the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme which provides free energy upgrades for homes vulnerable to energy poverty.

The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme has a €40 million allocation in 2022 and €57 million is earmarked for 2023. This funding will deliver an additional 2,000 deep energy retrofits to B2 level with a heat pump in 2022 and an additional 3,000 in 2023. The scheme is expected to grow significantly in subsequent years with a total of €8 billion of Exchequer funding (including €5 billion in carbon tax revenues) available to support all residential upgrades to 2030 (as set out in the table below).

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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226. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he examined the inclusion of a household income cap in the new National Retrofit Scheme; if so, the income caps that were examined by his Department; the estimated number of households that would be excluded under each income cap if the cap was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8169/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The National Retrofit Plan sets out the Government's approach to achieving the Climate Action Plan targets of upgrading the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2/cost optimal level and installing 400,000 heat pumps to replace older, less efficient heating systems by 2030.

In line with commitments in the Retrofit Plan, the Government recently approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills. The measures address barriers, including financial barriers, to undertaking energy upgrades reported by homeowners and those working in the industry.

The National Retrofit Plan outlines that new and improved SEAI grant schemes will be a central element of the Government’s strategy to encourage all homeowners living in less efficient homes to carry out an upgrade. The suite of initiatives announced last week represents the most significant reform of SEAI grant schemes since their establishment. An Exchequer investment of €8 billion to 2030 will fund the initiatives and will enable the supply chain to scale up, creating thousands of high quality jobs in communities throughout the country.

Significant support will continue to be made available to lower income households and social housing tenants in the form of free energy upgrades. This year, 58% (€203 million) of the total Government retrofit budget of €352 million will be spent on dedicated energy poverty retrofit supports and local authority retrofits.

Imposing new additional income limits and means testing were not considered as part of the design of the new upgrade Scheme.