Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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159. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures that he is taking to resolve the situation where tenants of a social housing trust (details supplied) who are heated by a district heating system are being charged higher than normal energy costs due to their being treated as commercial rather than domestic consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58776/22]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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162. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when he will take action to ensure that apartment renters in district energy complexes can pay residential gas rates instead of more expensive commercial gas rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58866/22]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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165. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will intervene on behalf of residents at a location (details supplied) who are being charged unaffordable amounts in their bills due to being part of a district heating scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58920/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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173. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the protections that are in place for district heating customers who pre-pay for gas in order to prevent any disconnection of service if they cannot pay their bills this winter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59100/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 159, 162, 165 and 173 together.The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has been appointed as regulator for district heating networks and will be responsible for development of appropriate regulation of the sector going forward.

Central to the regulation of the sector will be the recommendations of the District Heating Steering Group. The Steering Group has been examining, among other things, the economic regulation and consumer protection needs of the district heating sector and of smaller scale group heating schemes.

In addition, to identify alternative heat sources for group heating schemes in particular, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has initiated a programme of pilot feasibility studies to examine the technical potential of moving those schemes fuelled by natural gas to a renewable energy source. It is anticipated that initial results will be available in the New Year.

More broadly, to help alleviate the impact of the rising cost of living, the Government has already put in place a series of measures, with funding of €2.4 billion available. A further package of once off measures worth €2.5 billion was announced in Budget 2023, including the Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme II. Primary and secondary enabling legislation has since been put in place, with the first of three €200 electricity credits (inclusive of VAT) being paid directly to over 2.2 million domestic electricity accounts from November 2022.

While not all consumers use gas, electricity is supplied to all households, therefore, the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit payment is being applied to domestic electricity accounts as a universal support to all households.