Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the capital funding for the better energy warmer homes scheme by 50%. [28137/25]

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.

Last year saw a record spend of almost €230 million under the scheme. As reported by the SEAI, 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. An increase of 50% on this would amount to €420m total.

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.

The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that 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.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of achieving a B2 BER cost optimum standard in the better energy warmer homes scheme, in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28138/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of achieving a B2 BER cost optimum standard in the better energy community grant scheme, in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28139/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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35. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost to install a heat pump, by year in the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025. [28167/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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55. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of retrofitting a house that had a fossil fuel boiler installed to a B2 standard under each scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28201/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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56. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of retrofitting a house that did not have renewable heating systems installed to a B2 standard under each scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28202/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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57. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to estimate the average cost of retrofitting a home to a B2 standard or higher under each SEAI retrofit scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28203/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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58. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of houses retrofitted to a lower than B2 standard that had heat pumps installed under each scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28204/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of retrofitting a house to a lower than B2 standard that had fossil fuel boilers installed under each scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [28205/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of a retrofit completed to a lower than B2 standard in each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [28206/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of retrofitting to a lower than B2 standard that had new heating systems installed under each scheme. [28207/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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68. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide a breakdown of the average cost to retrofit a home to a BER cost optimum standard under the better energy warmer homes scheme in the years 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [28287/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide a breakdown of the average cost to retrofit a home to a BER cost optimum standard under the one stop shop scheme in the years 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [28288/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost to install a heat pump, broken down by post-BER rating and by SEAI scheme in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28292/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the pre-and post-BER ratings of all deep retrofits completed in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025, under all SEAI schemes, by scheme, pre-BER and post-BER, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28298/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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80. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the breakdown of the pre-BER and post-BER rating of solid fuel homes retrofitted as part of the SEAI retrofitting programme, broken down by SEAI scheme in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28299/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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81. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of solid fuel homes retrofitted as part of the SEAI retrofitting programme that were fitted with a heat pump, broken down by SEAI scheme in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28300/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost per retrofit in each of the SEAI’s schemes per post-BER rating in the years 2020 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28301/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 28, 35, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 68, 69, 73, 79, 80, 81 and 82 together.

My Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to support homeowners improving the energy efficiency of their buildings, and to promote the adoption of renewable energy systems. These schemes include grants for the fabric upgrade of buildings (e.g. insulation), as well as solar PV and heat pump installation.

Data from the SEAI show that in the period 2020 to end-April 2025 almost 179,000 property upgrades have been supported through the residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme. Of these, 62,555 have been upgraded to a post-works building energy rating of B2 or better. In the same period 14,076 heat pumps installations have been supported.

A record capital budget of €550 million for the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes has been allocated for 2025 which will support over 64,500 home energy upgrades. In addition, a budget of €90 million will be provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the Local Authority Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme.

I have directed the SEAI to reply directly to the Deputy with the requested data on average costs of upgrades, solid fuel homes fitted with heat pumps, and BER ratings, in so far as it is available, as soon as possible.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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29. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the domestic solar pv budget over a five year period with a 50% increase per annum, by years one to five. [28140/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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31. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the domestic solar pv budget over a five year period with a 25% increase per annum, by years one to five. [28142/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the domestic solar pv budget over a five year period with a 33% increase per annum, by years one to five. [28143/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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33. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the domestic solar pv budget over a five year period with a 50% increase per annum, by years one to five. [28145/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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39. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the cost to increase the domestic solar PV budget by 100% over five years. [28172/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 31, 32, 33 and 39 together.

The tables below sets the cost budget over the next 5 years, based on the current allocated funding of €69m for 2025, as the base value. This is purely a mathematical exercise based on the parameters set out by the Deputy and does take account of customer demand, the capacity of the market to deliver or any other factors that may effect the cost to the exchequer.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the average cost of achieving a B2 BER cost optimum standard in the domestic solar PV scheme in each of the years 2020 –to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28141/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) was approved by Government on 21 December 2021, to support Ireland’s ambitious targets for micro-generation installations, under the Climate Action Plan. The MSS provides supports to both domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for Solar PV installations, up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2025 for household installations. These grants are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The SEAI maintains data regarding the financing and functioning of the Domestic Solar PV scheme and has facilitated the information in response to your question.

See below a breakdown of the average cost to install solar PV that led to an energy uplift of BER B2 or higher for 2020 to date.

It should be noted that these costs represent the value of Solar PV systems only as entered by Solar PV installers during the grant application process and are excluding the grant. Furthermore, the achievement of a BER rating of B2 or higher, following the installation of Solar PV, will depend on the BER rating of the home prior to the installation of a Solar PV system. The cost below do not take account of the cost of the other energy improvement in the home that may have an impact on the BER rating prior to the installation.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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34. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the first and full-year cost of setting up a district heating scheme (details supplied). [28147/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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South Dublin District Heating Company was set up in 2020 as Ireland’s first not-for-profit energy utility. It is fully owned and operated by South Dublin County Council. The associated district heating project uses waste heat generated by the nearby Amazon data centre (the heat is provided at no cost by Amazon as part of their zero-carbon commitment) to supply heat to public and private institutions, and homes in Tallaght town-centre. Construction of the energy centre and pipe network was completed in Q1 2023.

Phase 01A of the network, including a bespoke energy centre building, cost approximately €8 million and connected to South Dublin County Council headquarters, the County Library and the Technological University Dublin’s Tallaght campus. Phase 01B extended the network to connect additional customers at a new 3,000 square metres incubator office space, and 133 cost rental apartments along with two new campus buildings for the Technological University at an approximate cost of €1million. This phase was completed in 2025.

The project to date has been funded largely through a combination of the Government's Climate Action Fund, EU grant funding, South Dublin County Council financing, and investment by Fortum. The details are as follows:

• €4.447 million from the Government’s Climate Action Fund;
• €670,000 from the EU Interreg Programme;
• €890,000 from South Dublin County Council as matching funding for Interreg grant; and
• the remaining project upfront capital costs were provided by the energy services company that delivered the scheme, with these costs to be repaid to the operators in monthly instalments over the ten-year duration of the contract.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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40. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the funding that was allocated to the Climate Action Fund in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2023 and in 2025; and the amount that was drawn down per year. [28173/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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41. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to estimate the cost of doubling the Climate Action Fund. [28174/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 41 together.

The Climate Action Fund (CAF) does not receive an annual Voted allocation, but rather receives income from various sources including the National Oil Reserve Agency (NORA) Levy and from Government flight emissions offsets.

The NORA Levy is a levy charged on disposals of petroleum products. It is collected by the National Oil Reserve Agency and used by the Agency to fund Ireland's obligations to hold strategic reserves of oil. The funds accrued by the levy in any year in excess of NORA's requirements are transferred to the Climate Action Fund, as provided for in the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Act 2020.

DPENDR Circular 01/2020 provides for the offsetting of carbon emissions arising from official air travel. This requires all Government Departments and Offices to record carbon emissions associated with official air travel, value them at the prevailing rate of Ireland’s domestic Carbon Tax, and pay an equivalent amount into the Climate Action Fund each year.

Additional income can be transferred into the CAF but must follow the requirements set out in the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Act 2020.

The income and expenditure drawn down from the Fund since its establishment are set out (in €'000) in the table below:

**2024 Expenditure includes €1,359,999 unspent funds returned by the SEAI for which DECC is awaiting approval from DPENDR to return to the CAF. This would give net expenditure in 2024 of €99,753,134.