Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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58. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the upcoming Climate Action Plan will include proposals to promote the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil as a replacement fuel in traditional home heating systems as one method of cutting emissions from homes in which heat pumps are not an option; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58463/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The SEAI published the National Heat Study on 22 February 2022. The Study is a comprehensive analysis of the options for reaching net zero emissions from the heating sector by 2050 and contains detailed analysis which is being used to facilitate the development of options, policies and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050. The Study considered a number of potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of dwelling and business types. This included the use of liquid biofuels, solid biomass, biogases and other technologies such as heat pumps and district heating networks. The Study finds that bioliquids are not a cost effective option for heat in any sector in any of the scenarios that were considered but that heat pumps play a significant role in decarbonising heat. The recommendation of the Study is that heat pumps are the correct decarbonisation path for domestic heating systems, with district heating also being a competitive option that can be widely deployed. To facilitate the installation of heat pumps, upgrade grants are available from the SEAI to improve the fabric of homes in order to achieve energy efficiencies required.

Liquid renewable fuels may be best used in transport systems that are more difficult to decarbonise and their use should be incentivised in the transport energy market.