Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of homes funded for retrofit in 2024 for Cork city and county councils, respectively, under the warmer homes schemes. [41305/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the Warmer Homes Scheme on behalf of my Department. Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households in or at risk of energy poverty is a top priority for the Government. My officials continue to work with the SEAI to maximise and accelerate the output of free energy upgrades provided under this important scheme.

Last year saw a record spend of €158 million under the scheme with an allocation of almost €210 million including funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for 2024. Budget 2025 provides a record allocation of €240 million including funding from the ERDF. The budget represents a 10-fold increase over the spend on the Warmer Homes Scheme during the first year of this Government.

In recent years, the Warmer Homes Scheme has delivered a greater volume of deeper and more complex upgrades. This is reflected in the average cost of upgrades which have seen a tenfold increase from €2,600 in 2015 to €26,464 in 2024. These deeper upgrades mean that more lower income homeowners are benefitting significantly from warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and reduced emissions. However, it is important to acknowledge that deeper retrofits take longer to complete.

To the end of September this year 447 homes in Co Cork received an upgrade under the scheme. The information requested in relation to the split of upgrades completed between Cork City and Cork County Councils is not routinely supplied by the SEAI to my Department.

SEAI commenced the publication of quarterly reports on scheme performance in 2023. The most recent reports including detailed information in relation to the number of homes upgraded per county are available at:

www.seai.ie/publications/SEAI-Retrofit-Full-Year-Report-2023.pdf

www.seai.ie/sites/default/files/2024-09/SEAI-Retrofit-Mid-Year-Report-2024.pdf