Biggest Home Energy Upgrade Scheme in the history of the state will cut heating bills and lower carbon emissions

The new Home Energy Upgrade Scheme has been launched by Minister Eamon Ryan, in what is the biggest home insulation and retrofit scheme ever offered in the State.

Green Party Spokesperson for Housing, Francis Duffy TD, stated;

“The Home Energy Upgrade Scheme will allow people to make their homes warmer, cut heating bills and reduce carbon emissions. One of the biggest barriers for retrofitting projects to date, has been the upfront construction costs. This scheme will help to remove that barrier with a range of options from attic insulation to a full retrofit. For private homes, new grants will cover close to half the cost (45-51%) of a deep retrofit that will improve energy efficiency to a high B2 rating. That means grants of more than €25,000 may be offered to individual householders. There will also be options for 80% grants for more minor works, such as insulating attics and cavity walls. Approximately half the homes in the country need upgraded insulation in their attic, which can lower the cost of heating the family home by 25% every year or between €400 and €500.” 

Households most at risk of energy poverty will be eligible for a Free Energy Upgrade Scheme. A network of “one-stop shops” throughout the State will also offer a simplified end-to-end service for homeowners undertaking a full retrofit, covering the application process, access to finance and construction work.

Green Party Spokesperson for Transport, Climate Action and Environment, and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action Brian Leddin TD said;

“The Home Energy Upgrade Scheme will play a key part in Ireland’s ambitious climate targets to reduce emissions while also reducing fuel poverty and ensuring everyone can live in a warm, comfortable home. It is critical that there are options now available for all households, regardless of income. The scheme will also address other difficulties that households face by streamlining the deep retrofit process with end-to-end service for the application, finance and construction work, removing a lot of the headaches experienced by homeowners in the past.”

The Home Energy Upgrade Scheme is a significant step towards meeting the Programme for Government commitment to retrofit 500,000 homes to B2 standard and to install 400,000 heat pumps by 2030. The scale of the scheme over the next decade will also see a huge increase in demand for workers in the construction industry.

Senator Róisín Garvey, Spokesperson for Rural Development, Enterprise, Trade and Employment said;

“This represents an exciting development for Ireland and the Green Economy with new job creation in communities across the country. The National Development Plan has allocated €8bn to retrofitting up to 2030. This should give the construction sector the confidence it needs to invest in staff and equipment in order to do this work. The scheme also sends out a strong signal to workers and school leavers that there will be steady work and new opportunities in this sector over the coming decade. Further to this, €22 million has been allocated for the Green Skills Action Programme, by the Department of Further and Higher Education in Budget 2022. €17m of this relates to retrofit and NZEB (near zero energy buildings) skills.”