Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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22. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the action his Department is taking to reduce the timeframe for the SEAI warmer homes scheme application process, in view that the timeline for each stage has steadily increased over the past 12 months, whereby it is now taking approximately 24 months from approval to completion, in view that many applicants are elderly, live in low BER-rated property and require their property to be urgently updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18008/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the SEAI on behalf of my Department and is funded through carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund.

Last year saw a record spend of almost €230 million under the scheme. This resulted in 7,743 upgrades being provided to low-income households, a 31% increase on 2023. This year’s budget includes an allocation of €280 million for the Warmer Homes Scheme. This represents an 11-fold increase on the 2020 expenditure figure.

The scheme has been delivering a greater number of deeper and more complex upgrades in recent years. This is reflected in the average cost of upgrades which has increased from €2,600 in 2015 to over €27,700 in 2024. While these deeper retrofits take longer to complete, significant reductions in the average waiting time have still been achieved. The average wait time reduced from 26 months in 2022 to 18 months for homes with BER ratings of E, F and G upgraded in 2024.

The reduction in waiting times followed a range of measures introduced by my Department and the SEAI. However, given the very high number of applications and greater volume of deeper retrofits provided under the scheme, the SEAI is projecting that new applications may face longer waiting times. My officials continue to work with the SEAI to further accelerate and maximise the output of free energy upgrades thereby minimising waiting times.

Applicants can contact the SEAI at any time to get further information on the status of their application either by email or by telephone – details are on the SEAI website. Oireachtas members can make queries on behalf of applicants by contacting the dedicated email address oireachtas@seai.ie .