Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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171. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of concerns that the Government’s retrofitting programme discriminates against those with solid fuel homes; the measures he is taking to address this; if he has considered ringfencing supports to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50347/26]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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172. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of concerns that the government’s retrofitting programme discriminates against those with older homes; the measures he is taking to address this; if he has considered ringfencing supports to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50348/26]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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173. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of concerns that SEAI HLI eligibility criteria for heat pumps are excluding homeowners in older dwellings. [50349/26]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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174. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of concerns that SEAI eligibility criteria for window and door replacement grants, including post-works BER requirements and U-value thresholds are excluding homeowners in older dwellings. [50350/26]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 171, 172, 173 and 174 together.

The National Residential Retrofit Plan and new and enhanced measures announced in January 2026 have made retrofitting supports more accessible to households and allowed homeowners to undertake works to their home on a staggered basis, for example allowing homeowners to access windows and doors grants as part of individual measures, and increased grant rates for insulation and heat pumps.

It is important to note the grants available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) aim to maximise emissions reductions and deliver energy savings for the widest range of homeowners possible. The grants and their respective eligibility criteria were selected as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners as well as best value for Exchequer money.

Specifically in terms of windows and doors, and heat pumps, recent developments include:

• new windows and doors, and heat pump, grants are now available across the SEAI schemes in line with eligibility requirements and scheme terms and conditions;
• the heat pump system grant has been expanded for a maximum total grant value of up to €12,500, up from €3,500 to €6,500 under the previous retrofitting plan. This new amount includes a €4,000 Renewable Heat Bonus grant solely targeted at homeowners decarbonising their existing heating system by swapping out their oil/gas boiler, solid fuel heating or electric storage heating with a heat pump;
• a grant of €6,500 is available for the replacement of an existing heat pump that has reached end of useful life and is out of warranty;
• the VAT rate for heat pumps was reduced to 9% in January 2025;
• changes have been introduced to the SEAI scheme rules to make the process of accessing heat pump grants easier for homeowners; and
• the SEAI also has two heat pump pilots underway which aim to inform appropriate approaches to increase the number of heat pump installations in homes with varying Heat Loss Indicator characteristics: the Residential Heat Pump and Heat Loss Indicator Research Pilot and the R290 High Temperature Heat Pump pilot.