58 ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • Industry News contractors to deliver the work; and quality assuring the work. Homes owned by private homeowners, non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies are eligible for the scheme. This provides an unprecedented opportunity for people all over Ireland to upgrade to a warmer, healthier and more comfortable home, with lower energy bills. Increased grant rates and supports for step-by-step home upgrades Grant supports (under the Better Energy Homes Scheme) for homeowners that want to take a step-by-step approach to upgrading their homes have also been significantly increased. For instance, the grant for heat pumps has increased from €3,500 to €6,500 and the rate for external wall insulation has increased from €6,000 to €8,000 for a detached house. These figures specifically relate to grant amounts for this step-by-step approach. Free home energy upgrade: Protecting people at most risk of energy poverty The Warmer Homes Scheme offers free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners who are most at risk of energy poverty. Since 2000, over 143,000 free upgrades have been supported by the scheme. A budget allocation of €109 million has been provided for this scheme this year. This will support an increase in the number of free home upgrades, from an average of 177 per month in 2021 to 400 per month this year, helping to reduce waiting times. The scheme will also target the worst performing properties, by prioritising homes that were built and occupied before 1993 and have a preworks BER of E, F or G. Existing applications will not be affected by this change. For the first time, applications will be accepted from qualifying homeowners who previously received supports under the scheme, but who could still benefit from even deeper measures. The scheme eligibility criteria will also be extended to include those in receipt of the Disability Allowance for over 6 months and have a child under 7 years. Community schemes: Improving buildings across the country Under the Community Energy Grant Scheme, grants are available for public, commercial and community buildings. These include buildings within housing associations and local authorities; rental properties; and buildings belonging to public sector organisations. The total budget for this scheme will be €43 million in 2022 (of which approximately €15 million will relate to home retrofits). Grants of up to 80% are available under this scheme – for private, energypoor homeowners. Long-term funding commitment: Providing certainty for the home energy upgrade sector Retrofitting our housing stock is a key element of the Government’s plans for economic growth and development. The unprecedented €8 billion of National Development Plan funding (including €5 billion in carbon tax revenues) available to support residential upgrades (to 2030) will stimulate the creation of high-quality jobs throughout the country. It will also have a significant multiplier effect, supporting the development of associated supply chains. This will help to support a just transition to a carbon neutral society. A total of €267 million (of which €202 million is carbon tax receipts) has been allocated for SEAI residential and community schemes in 2022. This investment will support almost 27,000 home energy upgrades, including over 8,600 homes to a BER of B2 (a near doubling of B2 output over 2021) and 4,800 free energy upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty. In addition, €85 million funding has been provided by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the Local Authority Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. This investment is targeted to deliver 2,400 B2 (or equivalent cost optimal) upgrades this year. Of the total Government retrofit budget of €352 million, €203 million (58%) will be spent on dedicated energy poverty schemes and local authority retrofits. National climate action goals The suite of home energy upgrade programmes announced will be central to the achievement of our broader climate targets, as a country. The Climate Action Plan 2021 set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector – from 7 Mt CO2 eq. in 2018 to between 3.5-4.5 Mt CO2 eq. in 2030. Today’s announcement is a key step on this journey. An evidence-informed approach will continually inform the scheme design over time, ensuring that the best supports are in place to support homes across Ireland to be more energy efficient and, ultimately, to decarbonise. www.seai.ie (continued from page 57)
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