Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

234. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to apartment blocks such as apartments (details supplied) in County Dublin being forced to utilise an energy provider such as one that charges rates much higher than those on the general market; the steps that can be taken to ensure that these residents will be able to choose their own energy provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30085/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gas and electricity retail markets in Ireland operate within a European regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive. I am acutely aware of the impact that current, internationally influenced, energy price increases are having on people and families. For that reason, Government has put in place a series of measures to help alleviate the impact, particularly on lower income households. In cases where apartment blocks or groups of buildings are supplied with heat, rather than fuel, commercial rates apply, as the energy service operator is purchasing the fuel at a large scale. However, under the Multi-Unit Developments Act, 2011, Owners’ Management Companies are precluded from entering contracts of duration greater than three years, and this provides a possibility to renegotiate energy supplier contracts.

The 2018 Renewable Energy Directive includes, inter alia, provisions concerning use of unavoidable waste heat when planning district heating and provisions requiring Member States to facilitate the development of heating and cooling derived from renewable sources. District heating, within a structured framework, is a technology that: offers the potential to diversify fuel supply used to heat the building sector; can offer flexibility in fuel choice; and the ability to adapt to changes in the economic and policy landscape.

The Climate Action Plan 2021 contains actions that will provide a solid basis for the appropriate expansion of district heating in Ireland, including the establishment of a multi-disciplinary District Heating Steering Group. The District Heating Steering Group, which is up and running and has met four times already this year, is working on recommendations to ensure that there is a robust governance and regulatory framework in place along with any legislation that may be required, in line with the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive. Considerations in this regard will also encompass pre-existing district heating and local heating schemes that are already in operation in Ireland.