Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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85. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of applications waiting to be approved under the warmer homes scheme; the current average wait time for applications; the number of approvals, per month, in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025; the number of approvals, per year since 2020; and the average cost, per grant, per year, since 2020, in tabular form; the efforts that are being made to reduce the wait times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28312/25]

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 Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department and is funded through the carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund.

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 the SEAI indicates has increased from €2,600 in 2015 to just under €29,000 in Q1 of 2025. 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. Notwithstanding this, significant reductions in the average waiting time have still been achieved, with the average waiting time reduced from 26 months in 2022 to 21 months for homes with BER ratings of E, F and G in Q1 2025.

The reduction in waiting times follows a range of measures introduced by my Department and the SEAI. These include the allocation of additional staff to the Warmer Homes Scheme; a significantly increased budget allocation; active contract engagement and management by the SEAI to increase contractor output; as well as actions to address ongoing supply chain and inflationary pressures.

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.

The table below sets out the average cost per home per year under the scheme since 2020.

The specific data requested by the Deputy in relation the number of applications waiting to be approved under the Warmer Homes Scheme; the number of approvals, per month, in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025; and the number of approvals, per year since 2020; is not routinely supplied by the SEAI to my Department. I have directed the SEAI to reply directly to the Deputy with the data requested. The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly, in line with the SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@seai.ie.