Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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104. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a study into the heat loss indicator criteria for the installation of heat pumps has concluded and whether a determination has been made regarding the efficacy of installing a heat pump in homes with a heat loss indicator of >2.3 and ≤2.6 W/K m2. [20965/23]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of homes in the State that are currently heat pump ready. [20967/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 106 together.

The Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030. This requires a dramatic increase in the number of heat pumps installed each year as we move through the decade.

In February 2022, the heat pump grant was significantly increased with grant support for an air to water heat pump increasing from €3,500 to up to €6,500. For homeowners undertaking a deep retrofit with a heat pump under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS) or the Community Energy Grant (CEG) Scheme, additional grant support is available towards required heating system upgrades (emitters etc) as well as a bonus payment of €2,000 to eligible homeowners. This equates to a potential grant support of up to €10,500 available to homeowners upgrading to a heat pump as part of a deep retrofit project.

Furthermore, the construction rule for grant support for installation of heat pumps was changed to allow for homes built and occupied before 2021, making more homeowners eligible for the grant.

Heat pump heating systems are most efficient when they operate in homes with a low level of heat loss. The metric used to determine whether the dwelling has a sufficiently low level of heat loss is the “Heat Loss Indicator” (HLI). SEAI recently commenced a Residential Heat Pump and Heat Loss Indicator Research Pilot to test the performance of heat pumps across 1,000 homes with a higher level of heat loss than is currently required by SEAI for grant support i.e. with a Heat Loss Indicator of >2.3 and ≤3.0 W/K m2. The aim of the Study is to test the efficacy of installing a heat pump in homes with worse performing HLIs including the heat pump performance and the carbon savings. Results from the Study are expected in 2024.

SEAI advise there is an estimated 19% of existing residential building stock which have a HLI ≤ 2.3, and may be suitable for a heat pump. This equates to approximately 328,000 homes.