Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

217. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the expected cost of the business energy upgrade scheme in it's first year since being launched in November 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51699/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Business Energy Upgrades Scheme is funded by my Department and administered by SEAI as part of a suite of business supports. In 2024 alone, SEAI Business Supports provided grant support of over €40 million to over 3000 businesses significantly supporting energy cost reduction, competitiveness, and emission reduction. The Business Energy Upgrades Scheme was opened for applications in November 2024, and offers businesses access to rapid approval grant funding for a range of retrofit measures for buildings such as hotels, offices, retail and restaurants. There has been strong activity on the application portal with a large volume of draft applications (over 550) as people review the potential options. Typically, some time is required by the commercial sector to prepare the necessary details before submitting the application. 150 applications have been approved with a combined total in offers of in excess of €2.7million supporting a total number of 277 measures. All 9 measures available are represented within this package of applications which is a good initial indicator of the public’s interest in the overall suite of technologies provided. The Business Energy Upgrades Scheme is critical to supporting a higher rate of commercial building retrofit and is expected to double the number of commercial building retrofits and heat pumps supported from 2024 to 2025.