Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 85 and 86 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 level and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes by end-2030.

This represents approximately 30% of the housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide. The budget of €8 billion to the end of the decade and annual allocations set out in the National Development Plan and National Retrofit Plan, underlines the Government’s commitment to achieving these targets.

The National Retrofit Plan estimates that, between 2019 and 2025, almost 185,000 home energy upgrades will be delivered with over 83,000 to a B2/cost optimal level and includes a target to install 45,000 heat pumps in existing dwellings in the same period.

When the emissions savings from the non-B2 upgrades are included, this is the equivalent of 120,000 B2 upgrades over the period. As a result, there will be a need to deliver on average, approximately 75,000 B2-equivalent home upgrades per year from 2026 to 2030 with the majority installing heat pump systems in order to achieve the overall 2030 targets.

A range of measures have been put in place in recent years under the National Retrofit Plan including in 2022 when an enhanced package of SEAI retrofit supports were introduced and saw significant increases in grant supports for energy efficiency measures including the heat pump grant. In addition, there are two SEAI heat pump pilot schemes underway, aimed at informing appropriate process and approach to increase the number of heat pumps installations: (i) B2 and Heat Pump pilot under the Warmer Homes Scheme and (ii) Heat Loss Indicator Pilot under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme. The Department and SEAI have also been working with international experts in relation to ensuring that the package of supports for heat pumps align with best practice.

In recent years, demand across the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been exceptionally high. Data from SEAI shows that in the period 2020 to end-February 2024 just over 115,000 property upgrades have been supported through the residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV scheme. Of these, almost 36,400 have been upgraded to a post works building energy rating of B2 or better. In the same period almost 10,000 heat pumps installations have been supported.

The costs of a retrofit/home energy upgrade depends on a range of factors including the size and type of home as well as the age and starting condition of the property and the retrofitting works required or recommended. Depending on the scheme, the retrofit can consist of a single energy efficiency measure, multiple measures or a whole home upgrade to B2 and the costs will vary accordingly.

Furthermore, the works costs are based on declarations from the homeowners and contractors. The costs can vary depending on the factors outlined above. Additionally, homeowners may carry out non-grant aided/non energy related works as part of the same upgrade. Therefore, the average costs set out below may be in excess of the costs relating to the retrofit works only. The amounts paid out per grant-aided measure by SEAI are fixed irrespective of the costs declared.

SEAI has advised they do not report on costs based on BER cost optimum.

Available data on the following, has been provided by SEAI and is set out in the attached tables:

• A breakdown of the average cost per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to end February 2024,
• A breakdown of the average cost to upgrade to a BER B2, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to end February 2024,
• A breakdown of the average cost to install a heat pump, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to end February 2024,
• A breakdown of the number of heat pumps installed, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to end February 2024,
• A breakdown of heat pump installation targets, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024,
• A breakdown of the retrofitting targets, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024,
• A breakdown of (i) how many retrofits were completed and (ii) how many retrofits were completed to BER B2 standard or higher, per SEAI scheme, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to end February 2024;

A more detailed overview of the SEAI performance against annual targets on the residential and community energy efficiency schemes can be found in their recently published “National Retrofit Plan Full Year Report 2023 ”, which can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/publications/SEAI-Retrofit-Full-Year-Report-2023.pdf

The targets for retrofits and heat pump installations for the period 2025-2030 will be agreed annually as part of the SEAI business planning and Estimates processes.

The cross-Departmental Task Force on Heat and the Built Environment is in place, identifying work on the critical path to accelerate and drive delivery of retrofitting, renewable heat, district heat, decarbonisation and overall energy use needs of building stock.