Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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164. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has considered funding deep retrofits for older persons with the recovery of their share of the costs from a later transfer of the property which is the principle underpinning the fair deal scheme in health. [11149/22]

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. The Plan is designed to address barriers to retrofit across four key areas: driving demand and activity; financing and funding; supply chain, skills and standards; and governance. In line with commitments in the Plan, the Government recently approved a package of significantly enhanced supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades. The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme will provide increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard. A network of One Stop Shops will offer a new end-to-end project management service for homeowners. This includes surveying the home; designing the upgrades; managing the grant processes; helping with access to finance; engaging the contractors to deliver the work and then quality-assuring that work.

In addition, increased grants for attic and cavity wall insulation have also been made available, covering 80% of the cost to homeowners of these highly cost-effective upgrade measures. Free upgrades are available for households at risk of energy poverty. My Department is also developing a residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme which will enable financial institutions to offer loans with reduced interest rates for retrofit projects.

In light of the foregoing, an additional funding model such as that used for the fair deal scheme was not considered in the context of these recent changes.

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 unprecedented  grant levels, increased from circa 30% to circa 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump.

- Establishment of a network of registered One Stop Shops to offer a 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.

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.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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166. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there is an average wait time for a contractor to be appointed in circumstances in which approval has been granted under the warmer homes scheme; if these wait times are consistent throughout the country; if the case of a person (details supplied) in this regard will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11266/22]

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 to €17,100.

There are currently just over 7,000 homes awaiting works on the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme work programme. This includes homes that are:

- Awaiting the initial survey of their home;

- Have completed an initial home survey and are awaiting allocation to a contractor;

- Have been allocated to a contractor for works; or,

- Currently undergoing works. 

Activity under the Scheme, and the associated expenditure, were significantly impacted in both 2020 and 2021 by the COVID pandemic. SEAI data indicates that for homes completed in 2021, the average cycle time from application to completion was approximately 26 months. While this delay was largely driven by COVID related issues, the deeper measures being provided under the scheme since 2018, also involve more substantive works.

In order to reduce this timeline to completion, the following key actions are being taken:

- The budget, at €109 million, is nearly three times the 2021 outturn (€38 million) and funding has also been sought through the European Regional Development Fund;

- The number of homes retrofitted under the scheme are due to increase from 177 per month in 2021 to 400 per month in 2022;

- SEAI has allocated additional staff for the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme;

- SEAI is working to increase contractor output through active contract engagement and management. 

Works under the Scheme recommenced in line with activity in the residential construction sector and activity did ramp up again towards the end of last year. Based on the foregoing, SEAI target clearing the homes currently on the waiting list in approximately 18 months. The status of individual applications is an operational matter for SEAI and they have established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members in this regard; oireachtas@seai.ie.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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167. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if all homeowners will avail of all grants available through the SEAI whether availing of the one stop shop service or the individual energy upgrade grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11344/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has a number of schemes in place to support homeowners to upgrade their properties including the fully funded Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme and a number of part-funded schemes such as the Community Energy Grant Scheme, the Solar PV Scheme and the recently announced National Home Energy Upgrade (Retrofit) Scheme. Following the recent Government announcement increased grant levels of up to 50% are now being applied to the part-funded schemes. In addition to the establishment of the new scheme targeting full upgrades, Government also made it clear that households that want or need to carry out the upgrade over time, should be supported at the enhanced grant levels. For that reason, many of the new grant rates are also now available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme allowing homeowners to take a step-by-step approach or self-manage the project.

An increase in the funding allocation for the fully funded Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme will support monthly completions to more than double from 177 last year to 400 this year. 

Further details with respect to each of the schemes are available at www.seai.ie. 

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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168. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views that a limited number of approved contractors will lead to delays in accessing SEAI grants for many customers; if steps are being taken to address same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11345/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The process to register as an SEAI approved contractor is open to any contractor that agrees to adhere to SEAI standards, guidelines, procedures and codes of practice. This registry is necessary to protect the customer and Exchequer funding by ensuring registered contractors agree to the SEAI Quality Assurance and Disciplinary Procedures for Contractors.To support the highly ambitious scale up of activity and to help grow the supply side the National Retrofit Plan includes "supply chain, skills and standards" as one of the four key pillars. The plan includes measures to expand the capacity of the supply chain and increase the number of skilled workers while maintaining quality and driving demand.  Crucially the new Plan provides for a step change in the approach to supporting home energy upgrades.

New measures announced recently include:- The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme with substantially increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical home upgrade to a B2 BER standard (up from 30%-35% previously);

- One Stop Shops providing an end-to-end project management service, including access to financing, for home energy upgrades; and,

- 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.

These enhancements are designed to drive sustained realisable demand and will complement the Exchequer commitment to invest €8 billion up to 2030 and the streamlining of SEAI grant processes, to transform the retrofit sector into an all year round business. In turn this will encourage, facilitate and enable the supply chain to scale up and grow, creating thousands of high quality jobs and delivering on this critical national objective.