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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 139 together.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS) on behalf of my Department.

The NHEUS supports homeowners wishing to undertake a whole home energy upgrade to achieve a BER of at least B2 through SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops (OSSs). OSSs provide an end-to-end service for homeowners, which includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance.

There are now 20 OSSs registered by SEAI, two of which were registered in February 2024. SEAI will continue to actively engage with the construction sector this year, with the aim of attracting more companies to register as a OSS. It is important to note that the OSSs are typically large entities and shouldn’t be considered a ‘single contractor’. Instead, the OSS contracts and manages retrofit contractors and sub-contractors to deliver the project.

SEAI data shows that there were a total of 1,336 property upgrades completed under the NHEUS in 2023 and the average application cycle time (from letter of offer to grant paid) was approximately eight months. Data from the SEAI also shows that all registered One Stop Shops continue to report strong pipelines of work and growing demand with 2,629 home energy assessment applications in 2023 and 1,752 One Stop Shop applications for home upgrade works.