Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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1483. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 139 of 16 July 2025, the reason that solar PV is limited to the installation of 1kWp solar PV for small social housing with a floor area less than 55 m2, with a maximum HLI of 2 under the local authority retrofitting schemes; if there are plans to expand this criteria to install more solar PV on local authority homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41753/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme supports the delivery of Climate Action Plan BE/25/10 with the continuing roll-out of the Social Housing National Retrofitting Programme, with 2,500 retrofitted properties expected to reach a minimum BER of B2 or higher and incorporating heat pump deployment targets this year. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme by the end of 2030.

Works eligible under my Department's EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. These funded measures achieve the minimum B2 BER rating.

In limited circumstances, such as, detached and semi-detached single storey dwellings with a floor area less than 55m2, where it is not practical to achieve a HLI of 2 specified by the SEAI guidance, the maximum HLI may be increased to 2.6 on a pilot basis with additional fabric and air tightness requirements as listed in the EERP Circular 05/2025. Where this approach is adopted the installation of at least 1kWp of solar photovoltaic micro-generators on the dwelling with the heat pump is recommended.

The addition of solar PV and relaxation of the HLI from 2.0 to 2.6 are not required for the retrofit of social housing with a floor area greater than 55 m2 to achieve a BER of B2 and incorporating heat pump deployment, and so they are not funded under the EERP scheme.