Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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199. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding provided to sustainable energy communities in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and the amount of money drawn down in each of those years, in tabular form. [35114/25]

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; or 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 it’s 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.

The SEC Programme is funded through the Community Activation Fund. Details of the capital funding allocation and capital funding expenditure for the SEC Programme/Community Activation Fund for the years 2022 to 2025 are set out in the table below.