Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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37. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the input his Department had in the development of the business energy upgrade scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21240/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As I mentioned in response to the Deputy’s related parliamentary question (21239/25), my Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications along with its agency, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) work very closely on an ongoing basis across a range of shared climate objectives around decarbonisation and the use of sustainable energies.

I welcomed the introduction of the SEAI’s Business Energy Upgrades Scheme, because as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I hold responsibility for ensuring that emissions in the Commercial Built Environment are reduced in line with Climate Action Plan targets. Achieving these targets will mean that many owners of commercial properties will have to carry out energy upgrade works to their buildings.

Such works can include installing smart meters, and replacing gas and oil heating with a heat-pump system. Doing so will require investment, but this Scheme is designed to meet some of the upfront costs of that work. It also provides rapid grant aid options for businesses at varying rates:

• They can get up to 30% support for a range of energy upgrade measures;

• And up to 50% support to optimise existing systems and support retrofit design costs.

I’m pleased that there has been a strong uptake of the Scheme since it opened for applications. There are over 200 draft applications in progress, and 78 offers have been made to date, to a value of €1.82 million.

The Scheme is funded from the Climate Action Fund and offers up to €120,000 for a series of common building upgrade measures including pumps, solar thermal, automatic controls, heat pumps, ventilation and wall insulation. The applications received are for all the potential measures offered under the Scheme.

I would encourage more businesses to consider the Scheme, because by cutting their energy costs they will become more competitive. They will also be less prone to the types of energy shocks we’ve seen in recent years. More broadly it makes commercial sense for building owners to improve their properties.