Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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11. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on the timeline for the introduction and implementation of the retrofit scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18695/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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SEAI Retrofit programmes continue to deliver in 2022 with over 2,100 home upgrades delivered so far. The total funding allocation to SEAI is €267 million for residential and community retrofit schemes and the Solar PV scheme in 2022. The overall delivery target is just under 27,000.The new recently launched National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme introduces a highly customer centric, way to undertake home upgrades. SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops will provide an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance.

The Scheme offers unprecedented grant levels, increased from around 30% to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump. These grants levels are also available in other SEAI schemes. Following Government approval, the SEAI registration portal for companies to apply to be a One-Stop-Shop opened and the first One Stop Shops are now registered. 

The One Stop Shop approach is one of a number of SEAI Schemes available for home energy-upgrades, details of which can be found on their website at Individual Energy Upgrade Grants | Home Energy Grants | SEAI

Homeowners can familiarise themselves with the scheme details on SEAI’s One Stop Shop webpage covering the benefits of engaging a One Stop Shop, the ranges of services on offer and the grant amounts available per energy efficiency measures installed:

www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/one-stop-shop/

SEAI have also produced a homeowner guide to advise homeowners through the various steps to completing a whole house upgrade under the One Stop Shop Service:

National_Home_Energy_Upgrade_Scheme_-_Homeowner_Guide[1].pdf

SEAI are focused on engaging organisations capable of professionally managing all aspects of a One Stop Shop service. Organisations interested in becoming a registered OSS should visit the SEAI dedicated One Stop Shop registration webpage:

www.seai.ie/register-with-seai/one-stop-shop/

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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12. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated additional cost of providing free insulation to all households that need it, over and above the funding already committed to; and the estimated additional cost of providing free deep retrofits to all households that need it over and above the funding already committed to. [18728/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 and to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings by the end of 2030. These targets represent a very significant increase in both the volume and depth of retrofit activity in Ireland.The National Development and National Retrofit Plans have ring-fenced €8 billion to support the achievement of this objective. This will be supplemented by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage budget for retrofitting 36,500 local authority homes. My Department is also working to secure EU funding for retrofit and developing a low-cost loan scheme to support retrofit.

The Government recently approved a package of enhanced 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)

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

- a significant increase in the number of free energy upgrades for those at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme (400 per month – up from an average of 177 per month in 2021)

- 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 and cost as part of the Government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices

These measures will significantly contribute towards the achievement of the retrofit targets. 

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of retrofits carried out under each programme in quarter one of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18747/22]

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 (BER) 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.

Information with respect to end-Q1 is not yet available. The number of retrofits completed under each grant scheme to end-February is set out in the table below.