Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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21. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the funding provided to the warmer homes scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [31614/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the funding provided for the better energy warmer homes scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31335/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 32 together.

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. 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 table below shows the breakdown of funding for the scheme from 2020 to 2025.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the funding provided for smart heater control grants in each of the years 2020 to 2025, by year, in tabular form. [31602/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the funding available for smart heat control grants in each of the years 2020 to 2025; the amount drawn down each year; the amount carried over each year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31330/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 28 together.

The installation of heating controls is one of the energy efficiency measures supported under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administered grant schemes. Heating controls can be an excellent way to control a household's energy usage and improve comfort.

Budget 2025 has allocated approximately €550 million for residential and community retrofit schemes. There is no ring-fenced budget allocation for heating control measures.

A fixed-rate grant of €700 is available towards the cost of installing heating controls. This is available under all the part-funded residential retrofit schemes. Heating controls can also be installed as part of a wider retrofit under the fully funded Warmer Homes scheme.

Data from the SEAI shows the following numbers of grants for heating controls under the part-funded Better Energy Homes Scheme for the period 2020-April 2025:

• 2020: 7,173 grants for heating controls supported;
• 2021: 2,789 grants for heating controls supported;
• 2022: 1,602 grants for heating controls supported;
• 2023: 1,098 grants for heating controls supported;
• 2024: 842 grants for heating controls supported; and
• to end April 2025, 199 grants for heating controls supported.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of sustainable energy communities that were funded in the years of 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30898/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Programme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The programme supports the low carbon energy transition by developing skills and capacity, at a community level, in determining how to use less energy, adopting lower carbon options for transport and heating, shifting energy use to off-peak times and investing in smart technologies.

The SEAI provides 100% funding to communities to undertake energy master plans. These plans allow a community to assess and understand its current and future energy needs (in electricity, heat and transport) in order for the community to make informed decisions and prioritise actions. It helps communities to identify opportunities so they can become more energy efficient, use renewable energy where possible, and use smart energy technology if appropriate.