Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide a breakdown of the number of heat pumps installed in the warmer homes scheme and warmth and well-being scheme for 2023 and to the end of October 2024, in tabular form. [45449/24]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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31. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide a breakdown of the number of oil and gas boilers installed in the warmer homes scheme and warmth and well-being scheme for 2023 and to the end of October 2024, in tabular form. [45450/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together.

The Warmer Homes Scheme is a free energy upgrade scheme which aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in or at risk of energy poverty. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of the and is funded through the Exchequer and the European Regional Development Fund.

The Scheme has been in existence in different forms since 2000 and has provided upgrades to over 160,000 homes since then. So far in 2024, 5,225 fully funded energy upgrades for low-income households of which 231 homes upgraded achieved a B2 Building Energy Rating.

In recent years, the scheme has been delivering a greater volume of deeper and more complex upgrades. This is reflected in the average cost of upgrades which have increased from €2,600 in 2015 to €26,464 in 2024.

The Warmth and Well-being Pilot Scheme was an interdepartmental and inter-agency project led by DECC, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the SEAI and the HSE. The scheme closed to new applicants in 2022, with the remaining homes delivered via mainstream Warmer Homes Scheme in 2023. The scheme produced evidence of the significant health and well-being benefits of upgrading the energy efficiency of a home. The research report is available here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/191db-warmth-and-wellbeing-scheme/

It should be noted that the Warmer Homes Scheme is the only scheme administered by SEAI where installation of a new gas or oil heating system can currently be funded, in order to comply with Building Regulations requirements where a major renovation is taking place. Ireland is working to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which is led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Under this Directive, Member States cannot provide financial incentives for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossil fuels from 1 January 2025. Any applicants to the Warmer Home Scheme that have been informed prior to end December 2024 that they will receive a heating system upgrade will not be affected.

In order to move the scheme away from the installation of gas or oil heating systems where these Building Regulations are triggered, comply with the EPBD, and to provide more extensive upgrades with decarbonised heating systems under the scheme, the National Retrofit Plan included a commitment to carry out a pilot to upgrade homes under the scheme to a B2 standard and install heat pumps. This pilot is gathering evidence to inform the appropriate process and approach to increase the number of B2 upgrades and heat pumps installations delivered under this scheme.

The table below sets out the number of heating systems installed under the Warmer Homes Scheme in 2023 and data to the end of October for 2024.