Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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215. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will address the concerns raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51510/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to support homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their buildings, through grants for the fabric upgrade of buildings, as well as solar PV and heat pump installation.

Overall, since 2019, the SEAI schemes provided €1.48 billion support to homeowners for 223,492 home energy upgrades. This year, a record budget allocation of over €550 million for the SEAI will support additional home energy upgrades and build on the momentum seen in recent years.

Under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS), a network of registered One-Stop-Shops (OSSs) provide an end-to-end service for homeowners who want to upgrade to a Building Energy Rating of B2 and install a heat pump. The service includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance.

The NHEUS is focused on deep retrofits, which are technically complex. For this reason, SEAI has set an appropriately high bar for companies to register as an OSS, to ensure the quality of the retrofit. It is open to companies operating in general construction/renovation to register as an OSS by applying to the SEAI.

There are currently 25 OSSs registered with SEAI. The SEAI is actively working with other applicant organisations to support them through the registration process. The SEAI continues to actively engage with the wider construction sector, with the aim of getting more companies registered as One-Stop-Shops.

As more OSSs are registered this is creating greater competition in the marketplace as well as affording homeowners greater choice. It is always recommended that a homeowner speaks to several OSSs before making their decision, so that they can choose the company that best suits their budget, timeframe and other considerations, including the need for additional building works.

Information on registration as a One-Stop-Shop can be found on the SEAI website at: www.seai.ie/register-with-seai/ Or by contacting SEAI either by email to onestopshop@seai.ie or by phone to 01-8082004.