Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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203. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has considered the use of mixed technologies as a transitional measure for households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11950/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Question refers to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), biomass boilers and solar PV.

HVO is a bioliquid which can be used as a renewable energy and which, in a transport context, is classified as a biofuel. HVO is currently available for consumers to purchase for use for both transport and heating.

In terms of using HVO as a bioliquid for heating purposes, the Climate Action Plan includes a range of measures to address the use of fossil fuels in heating systems in buildings, and the National Heat Study contains the detailed analysis that is informing the development of options, policies and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050. The study considered a number of potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of dwellings and business premises. This included the use of liquid biofuels such as HVO, solid biomass, biogases and other technologies such as heat pumps and district heating networks. The recommendation of the heat study is that heat pumps are the optimal decarbonisation path for heating systems, with district heating also being an option that can be widely deployed.

The Programme for Government commits to targeting older homes still using oil to switch to renewable heating systems and to consider the use of sustainable biofuels to reduce emissions from existing home boilers where deep retrofits are not possible in the short term. These commitments are framing the work underway to develop a Heat Policy Statement and the Roadmap to Phase Out Fossil Fuel heating systems.

Furthermore, the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) provides supports to households for the installation of Solar PV systems, with grants provided through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme is open to all homes built prior to 2021, with grants of up to €1,800 available in 2025. Moreover, applicants who have received other energy efficiency related grants supports through the SEAI, including for the installation of a heat pump, are still eligible to receive support towards their Solar PV installation, thereby providing an opportunity for householders to benefit from a range of mixed energy technologies.

My Department is also investigating the possibility of utilising microgeneration and battery storage solutions (including EV batteries) as an opportunity to provide homes and businesses with greater independence and resilience from the national grid. Solar PV systems and battery storage solutions (including EV batteries with vehicle to home/grid capabilities) can be designed to act in response to dynamic conditions, such as fluctuating prices or grid congestion. Such systems can also be configured to operate at times when a grid connection is temporarily unavailable, through the use of additional changeover switches supported by appropriate electrical wiring. Work is underway to assess the feasibility of supporting such smart energy solutions.