Written answers

Wednesday, 14 September 2022

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Energy Policy

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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101. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way that restrictions on replacement oil or gas boilers as early as 2025 will impact on families that cannot easily switch to a heat pump replacement, which requires a great deal of ancillary works to the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44850/22]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP21) committed to reducing emissions from the residential sector to between 3.5 - 4.5 Mt CO2eq. by 2030, from 7 Mt in 2018. As part of the achievement of this reduction, the CAP set ambitious targets to install 600,000 heat pumps in homes by 2030, of which 400,000 will be in existing homes. The Government recently announced a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades. The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, offers increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with heat pump. Homes that take a step-by-step approach can avail of grants of up to €6,500 for the replacement of fossil fuelled boilers with heat pumps. Full details on the range of SEAI supports available can be found at www.seai.ie.

The National Energy Security Framework (NESF), outlines that a National Policy Statement on Heat will be developed this year, based on the outcomes of the National Heat Study, including a key focus on the decarbonisation of our building stock and the development of district heating. The National Heat Study highlights that the Government must decide when the appropriate time to phase out new fossil fuel boilers in homes is. The NESF under Response 17, sets out a commitment to develop proposals for regulatory and policy options to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuel heating throughout our building stock. This will allow all sectors of the economy adequate time to plan this phase-out, and to give the heat pump industry retrofit sector adequate time to scale up capacity. This work is underway and is being led by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The Government has no plans to ban replacement boilers in the short term and is aware that this will need to be done in a manner that protects the most vulnerable in society. Fossil fuel heating is the most expensive form of heating which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. CAP21 has signalled that the Government will publish a high level phase-out plan in the next Climate Action Plan. A consultation is currently open on the plan and a further public consultation will be completed on any specific heat policy.

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