Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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154. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of SEAI warmer home applicants who applied for a replacement boiler pre-January 2025, and whose applications have since been rejected. [49205/25]

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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155. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of SEAI warmer home applicants who applied for a replacement boiler pre-January 2025, and whose applications have yet to be processed. [49206/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 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.

The information sought is an operational matter for the SEAI, an agency under the aegis of my Department. It is suggested that the Deputy contact the SEAI directly in relation to this matter. The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly and in line with the SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@seai.ie.

You may wish to note that the Government also has other schemes and supports in place which may be of assistance where there is an urgent need:

• The Department of Social Protection's Additional Needs Payment is a payment available to people who have essential expenses that they cannot pay from their weekly income. Additional Needs Payments are paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is administered by the Community Welfare Service or the Department of Social Protection. Details are available at: www.gov.ie/en/service/4eb45-additional-needs-payment/.
• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's Housing Adaptation Grants can assist older people to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Details are available at: www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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156. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason no communication was issued to SEAI warmer home applicants who applied for a replacement boiler pre-January 2025, of the change in the scheme in January 2025. [49207/25]

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 at risk of 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 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. This year’s budget includes an allocation of €280 million for the Warmer Homes Scheme.

There are a number of home energy improvements offered as part of the scheme. The upgrades recommended for a particular property depend on many factors, including age, size, type and the condition of the property.

The scheme seeks to reduce the amount of energy a household needs by reducing heat loss through the installation of insulation and ventilation in the first instance, before moving to replacing heating systems where required under Building Regulations. This is in line with the fabric first/energy efficiency first principle and best practice.

For each eligible home, the SEAI’s technical surveyor determines which upgrades can be installed and funded. These can include:

• attic insulation and appropriate ventilation;

• wall insulation and appropriate ventilation – cavity wall, and external wall or dry lining depending on the property;

• secondary measures – lagging jackets, draughtproofing, and energy efficient lighting; and

• in certain circumstances, renewable heating systems, and window replacements.

Until 31 December 2024, a new gas or oil heating system could be recommended for installation and funded under the Warmer Homes Scheme. This was done in order to comply with Building Regulations requirements where a major renovation was taking place under the scheme.

However, under the revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), Member States cannot provide financial incentives for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossil fuels from 1 January 2025. Therefore, since then, the SEAI cannot recommend the installation of new stand-alone oil or gas boilers as an upgrade measure when surveying homes under this scheme. Instead, where a heating system upgrade is required as part of a major renovation, the SEAI will assess the suitability of the home for renewable heating systems, such as heat pumps, which are compliant with the EPBD.

In January 2025, the SEAI published the details of these changes on their website. The details can be found at: www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/fully-funded-upgrades-for-eligible-homes

Where information sought is an operational matter for the SEAI, an agency under the aegis of my Department, the SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly and in line with the SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@seai.ie.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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157. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to set out the substitutes to replacing a boiler in a domestic home. [49208/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Heat Study, published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), contains detailed analysis that is being used by my Department to inform the development of policies and measures to decarbonise Ireland’s heating and cooling sectors by 2050. The study considered a number of potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of dwellings and business premises. This included the use of liquid biofuels such as HVO, solid biomass, biogases and other technologies such as heat pumps and district heating networks.

The recommendation of the heat study is that heat pumps are the optimal decarbonisation path for heating systems in buildings, with district heating also being an option that can be widely deployed. Heat pumps are now the dominant heating technology for new builds with Central Statistics Office data showing that heat pumps were installed in 95% of new dwellings in 2024. In terms of existing homes, 3,600 heat pumps were installed in 2024 under SEAI schemes, and a further 2,400 Local Authority upgrades included a heat pump installation.

In recent years a range of measures have been put in place under the National Retrofit Plan to grow the number of heat pumps installed under the SEAI energy efficiency upgrade schemes. These include new and redesigned SEAI schemes with enhanced grant rates of up to €10,500 available for heat pumps when a B2 energy rating is achieved. The SEAI also has two heat pump pilots underway which aim to inform appropriate approaches to increase the number of heat pump installations, while ensuring quality.

Additionally, the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, which launched in April 2024, is aimed at helping more householders to retrofit their homes, including with a heat pump. It enables homeowners to borrow €5,000-€75,000 at significantly lower interest rates to complete a home energy upgrade.

The National Heat Study also recognised the potential role for sustainable bioenergy for buildings that require alternative routes to decarbonisation, and this is being further considered as part of a suite of measures to decarbonise heating systems. The Programme for Government 2025 commits to targeting older homes still using oil to switch to renewable heating systems and to consider the use of sustainable biofuels to reduce emissions from existing home boilers where deep retrofits are not possible in the short term. These commitments are framing the work underway to develop a Heat Policy Statement and the Roadmap to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Heating Systems.

The Heat Policy Statement will set out Ireland's overarching approach to decarbonising the heat sector. A draft statement, informed by the findings of the National Heat Study, has been prepared by my Department and has undergone extensive consultation with other Government Departments and Agencies. A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Report is in the process of being completed, and a public consultation on the SEA Report and the draft Heat Policy Statement will follow. Following completion of the consultation process, my Department will submit the draft Heat Policy Statement to Government for approval and publication.