Written Answers Nos. 180-204
180. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of gas and electricity disconnections in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35125/23]
View answer181. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of gas and electricity disconnections per local authority in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35126/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together.
The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities maintains figures for disconnections and not the Department. The most recently published figures detail the period of 2022 to July and it is expected that the CRU will provide an update to these figures in the coming months. I have provided these figures below which are publicly available here: CRU2022973-CRU-Arrears-and-NPA-disconnection-update-H1-2022.pdf (divio-media.com)
|
Domestic Electricity |
Non-Domestic Electricity |
Domestic Gas |
Non-Domestic Gas |
|
|
Jan-22 |
68 |
48 |
37 |
23 |
|
Feb-22 |
125 |
27 |
63 |
12 |
|
Mar-22 |
105 |
43 |
65 |
9 |
|
Apr-22 |
73 |
39 |
36 |
5 |
|
May-22 |
133 |
39 |
27 |
8 |
|
Jun-22 |
208 |
26 |
81 |
4 |
|
Jul-22 |
213 |
70 |
75 |
14 |
Responsibility for the regulation of the retail electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities which is an independent Regulator, accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas and not the Minister. The CRU was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas sectors following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent legislation. The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial and liberalised. Operating within this overall EU framework, responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, is solely a matter for the CRU. It is a function of the CRU to monitor the markets, including the number of disconnections. Recent precedents include 20724/23 and 15559/23 where the Minister had no function and the matters raised were the responsibility of CRU. CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.
182. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he aware of a survey (details supplied) which highlights barriers to achieving retrofit targets; how he plans to address these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35127/23]
View answer183. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is aware of a survey (details supplied) which cites lack of availability of finance or grant funding as key barriers to achieve national retrofitting targets; how he plans to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35129/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 183 together.
Evidence shows that a key barrier to scaling up the number of home energy upgrades is the financial constraints of homeowners. This is exacerbated by high upfront costs of retrofits and the long payback periods that can be associated with such investments. Lack of funds also curtails the number of retrofit measures homeowners choose to implement at the same time. It is for these reasons that "Financing and Funding models" was identified as one of the key pillars of our National Retrofit Plan. The Government has committed over €8 billion to 2030 to support the achievement of our national retrofit targets.
Last year, the Government launched a package of SEAI supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes with lower energy bills. Following the introduction of the new measures, demand across the SEAI grant schemes was exceptionally high in 2022 with:
• Over 50,000 applications processed (up 140% year on year)
• Capital expenditure of €188 million (up 90% year on year)
• 27,199 home energy upgrades (up 78% year on year)
• 8,481 BER B2 upgrades completed (up 95% year on year)
• 4,438 fully funded energy upgrades for low-income households (up 85% year on year)
• A further 437 Approved Housing Body homes were supported under the One-Stop-Shop Scheme and an additional 95 low-income houses were supported under the Community Energy Grants Scheme.
• 16,827 attic and cavity wall measures supported (up 107% year on year
This strong performance has continued into this year. As of end June:
• 21,733 home energy upgrades have been delivered.
• Of these, 7,566 homes have been upgraded to a post works BER of B2 or better.
• 2,346 home energy upgrades completed under the fully funded schemes.
While the Government has committed a significant level of funding to support retrofit in the National Development Plan, it is clear that Exchequer funding along will not be sufficient to cover the entire cost of achieving our targets. For that reason, my Department is working with the Department of Finance, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland, the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund to develop a residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme, which will be backed by a counter guarantee provided by the EIB Group.
The loan guarantee will provide risk protection to retail credit institutions participating in the scheme and will enable credit institutions to offer loans with reduced interest rates to private homeowners and non-corporate landlords making comprehensive home energy efficiency upgrades more affordable to consumers. Further, it will signal to the banking sector, new sustainable business opportunities associated with retrofit and the transition to a low carbon economy as well as increasing the volume of retrofit activity within the State.
The development of this innovative scheme is a complex process involving several stakeholders. Intensive engagement to develop the scheme is ongoing and there has been extensive due diligence between the EIB Group and the Irish banking and credit union sector. Significant progress has been made to date, with two open calls for expressions of interest to participate in the scheme completed, and a number of banks and credit unions submitting formal expressions of interest.
The residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme will be the first consumer-focused guaranteed loan of its kind in Ireland. All stakeholders both at national and European level are committed to finalising the project and it is expected that the loan guarantee will be in place in Q3 2023.
186. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what incentives, if any, are in place to encourage farmers to grow crops that can be used to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35176/23]
View answerThe Department of Transport has responsibility for the obligation on suppliers of road transport fuel to include a certain percentage renewable transport fuel in that supply, including HVO used in road transport.
Supporting the supply of renewable energy in transport, the Renewable Transport Fuel Policy 2023-2025 published by the Department of Transport sets out the pathway to the achievement of Climate Action Plan targets; biofuel targets of E10 (Ethanol) in petrol and B20 (biodiesel equivalent) in diesel by 2030. This will support our EU obligations under the Renewable Energy Directives and Fuel Quality Directive.
Furthermore, the Department of Transport made regulations on the 31 March 2023 to authorise the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) to issue additional Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificates for specified renewable transport fuels, including HVO, to incentivise their supply.
Vegetable oil from oilseed rape could be used as a feedstock for the production of HVO. The Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine (DAFM) inform me the production of oilseed rape is supported through various measure under the EU Common Agricultural Policy and that they (DAFM) also invest significant resources in the trialling of oilseed rape varieties to identify superior varieties under Irish conditions which will ultimately contribute to increased profitability at farm level.
187. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to outline the plans his Department has to communicate to the public the importance of micro-generation such as solar panels on dwellings to citizen and societal resilience in the event of a cyberattack on the State’s energy facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35223/23]
View answer188. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether his Department is, as a matter of urgency, prioritising solar for all dwellings, given its capacity to provide resilience in the event of a cyberattack on the energy system; such plans to include easy-to-apply-for interest-free loans or generous grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35224/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together.
Under the Climate Action Plan 2023, the Government’s Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) is targeting 380MW of new renewable generation capacity to contribute to an overall revised target for solar PV of up to 8GW by 2030. The scheme design was supported by detailed economic and policy analysis, as well as public consultation, prior to its approval in December 2021.
Grants are currently available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for domestic installations, up to a maximum of €2,400. Since the introduction of the MSS domestic grant in February 2022, the SEAI have seen application levels rise sharply. In 2022, the SEAI received 16,819 applications to the Domestic Solar PV programme, which resulted in grant support for 10,018 homes, at a cost of €24.4m and a total installed capacity of 46.5 MW. This indicates an average installation size of 4.6kW. This is a significant increase from 2021 when 4,077 homes received grant support, with 16.3 MW capacity installed. Moreover, current projections for 2023 indicate an even higher level of applications will be supported.
There are no plans for a dedicated Solar PV loan scheme but a residential retrofit loan scheme is in development which will provide loans for solar as part of deep retrofit upgrade to a home. This residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme will be the first consumer-focused guaranteed loan of its kind in Ireland. It is expected that the loan guarantee will be in place in Q3 2023.
It should also be noted that maximising consumption of self-generated electricity will provide the most benefit to offset rising electricity costs and shorten the payback period for the investment in the installation of solar panels. Additionally, the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff is now available from all electricity suppliers, offering the opportunity for remuneration for excess renewable electricity exported to the grid. You will need to have a suitable ESB Networks export grid connection to avail of the CEG.
As connections to the grid are co-ordinated by ESB Networks (ESBN), my Department does not maintain oversight. However, it is understood that Microgenerators are equipped with protective devices which, for safety purposes, switch them off if the electricity supply is off or de-energised. Use of a generator for standby requires a special type of installation on which your Safe Electric Electrician can advise.
189. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of applications which are on hand for the warmer homes scheme; whether this list has been divided into the categories of poor building energy rating; the present annual number of energy upgrades now being completed under the scheme; if he will indicate when those households with somewhat better BER will be reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35275/23]
View answerThe Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to low-income households vulnerable to energy poverty. The primary aim of the scheme is to provide upgrades to those living in, or at risk of, energy poverty.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates the scheme on behalf of my Department. Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households, as quickly as possible, is a top priority for my Department and the SEAI. An unprecedented budget of €148.5 million has been allocated to the scheme this year which will deliver 6,000 home upgrades.
Increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit and improvements to the Warmer Homes Scheme are driving demand for the scheme. This can be seen in application numbers with over 9,900 applications received in 2022 and over 7,000 applications received up until the end of June 2023.
There are currently 14,871 homes on the WHS work programme. This includes homes that are currently undergoing works; have been allocated to contractors for works; have completed an initial home survey and are awaiting allocation to a contractor or are awaiting the initial survey of their home.
In February 2022, the Government made a decision to improve targeting of the scheme towards the worst performing properties, homes built and occupied before January 1993 and have a pre-works BER of E, F or G are prioritised for works. Applications made before February 2022, irrespective of BER, were not affected. SEAI have indicated that since February 2022 the split in applications between Priority 1 (pre 1993, E, F and G homes) and Priority 2 (all other homes) is 48% (Priority 1) and 52% (Priority 2). The split of homes allocated to contractors in the most recent allocation was 69% Priority 1 and 31% Priority 2.
Homes built up to 2006 with BERs of D and above can still apply under the scheme, though wait times for these better-performing homes may be longer as the worse performing homes are prioritised.
My Department has set SEAI a target of 6,000 home completions under the WHS programme. Up to the end of June 2023, SEAI has completed 2,346 home upgrades under the scheme.
190. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline the installed capacity of renewable energy under all of the various modes; solar, on shore wind, anaerobic digestion and so on; the categories large scale commercial farms, small business units, household and microgeneration and so on; if he is satisfied that the supports; price for supply to the grid in each case is at an appropriate level to encourage rapid uptake of renewable technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35277/23]
View answerIreland has made considerable progress in decarbonising our electricity sector over the last decade, with a major reason for this being the construction of renewable generation sources and their successful integration onto the grid. Ireland is in the top five globally for installed wind power capacity per capita and is a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid.
Ireland currently has approximately 5.2 GW of renewable generation capacity connected to the grid.
While the majority of this, circa 4.5 GW, is onshore wind, solar generation is a growing source of electricity and is rapidly transforming Ireland's energy system. There is now over 700 MW of solar generation in Ireland and continued delivery of these technologies at scale will be critical to meeting our renewable energy and climate targets.
These increases in renewable electricity generation capacities are facilitated by key Government policies such as the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), with the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS) to be launched shortly. These supports provide crucial support to renewable generators of varying sizes and types, from large scale commercial energy producers to community projects and domestic producers.
191. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a breakdown of the number of oil boilers and the number of gas boilers installed in the warmer homes scheme and warmth and wellbeing scheme for 2023 to date, in tabular form. [35279/23]
View answerThe Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme delivers free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners in low-income households who are most at risk of energy poverty. The scheme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Heating systems upgrades are recommended under the schemes in cases where:
• There is no heating system in place, and the home is receiving an attic and/or wall measure,
• Where the existing heating system is obsolete and the home is receiving an attic and/or wall measure,
• Where statutory ‘Major Renovations’ obligations apply: A Major Renovation is triggered when more than 25% of the area of the walls is being externally and/or internally insulated, then the existing heating system must be appraised for replacement. This is legally required under the Building Regulations, Part L 2019.
It should be noted that these are the only schemes administered by SEAI where installation of a new gas or oil heating system can be funded.
In order to move the scheme away from the installation of gas or oil heating systems where these Building Regulations are triggered, and to provide more extensive upgrades with decarbonised heating systems under the scheme, the National Retrofit Plan included a commitment to carry out a pilot to upgrade homes under the scheme to a B2 standard and install heat pumps. This pilot is gathering evidence to inform the appropriate process and approach to increase the number of B2 upgrades and heat pumps installations delivered under this scheme.
The table below sets out the number of oil boilers and the number of gas boilers provided to homes at risk of energy poverty who were in need of a heating system replacement this year to end June 2023:
|
Heating System Type |
Installations |
|
OIL |
235 |
|
GAS |
348 |
*The Warmth and Wellbeing pilot scheme closed in February 2022 and any remaining homes completed in 2023 are reported on under the Warmer Homes heading and are included in the totals above.
192. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to report the percentage of demand for gas in all sectors including electricity generation, residential, and industrial and commercial broken down by retail, construction, laundry, leisure, air travel, data centres, pharma, hospitals, and any other key sectors, relative to the reference period for the year 2023, in tabular form. [35280/23]
View answerThe information below was provided by GNI.
The table below shows the percentage of demand for gas in all sectors relative to the reference period for the year 2023.
*Please note that GNI only has granular demand data by sector going back to 2018, therefore reference period used is 2018 to 2022.
* The reference period is assumed to be from January to June inclusive for the years 2018 –2022 in order to compare against 2023 year to date.
* Please note that Manufacturing includes oil refining and data centres. Given the small number of customers in these categories, data is aggregated to comply with confidentiality obligations.
|
Sector |
Delta (H1 2023 vs H1 2018-2022) |
|
Overall Demand |
-4% |
|
Overall Demand excluding power generation |
-11% |
|
ROI Power Generation |
2% |
|
Residential |
-21% |
|
Small and Medium Enterprises |
-15% |
|
I&C Total |
-4% |
|
CNG |
118% |
|
Construction |
-49% |
|
Education Campuses |
-1% |
|
Food and Beverage |
-7% |
|
Hospital |
6% |
|
Laundry |
19% |
|
Leisure / Sport Arenas |
-2% |
|
Manufacturing* |
-4% |
|
Medical Devices |
6% |
|
Office Complexes |
-16% |
|
Pharma |
14% |
|
Prison |
-11% |
|
Retail |
42% |
|
Air Travel |
-9% |
|
Waste Management |
-46% |
|
Hotel |
9% |
193. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to outline which other EU member states saw an increase in demand for gas of at least by 8 % in the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 compared to the average gas consumption during the reference period per the revised definition in the political agreement related to the proposal for an EU Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2022/1369 as regards prolonging the demand reduction period for reduction measures for gas and reinforcing the reporting and monitoring of their implementation. [35281/23]
View answer194. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide an update on progress towards meeting the 15% demand reduction relative to the original reference period in Regulation (EU) 2022/1369, broken down by sector, in tabular form. [35282/23]
View answer195. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide an update on progress towards meeting the 15% demand reduction relative to the updated reference period in Regulation (EU) 2022/1369, as amended in March 2023, broken down by sector, in tabular form. [35283/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 193, 194 and 195 together.
Council regulation (EU) 2022/1369 on coordinated demand-reduction measures for gas came into force on 9 August 2022 for a duration of one year. The regulation was subsequently extended until 31 March 2024.
Information on the Eurostat website dated 19 April 2023 showed that the EU consumption of natural gas has dropped by 17.7% in the period August 2022-March 2023, compared with the average gas consumption for the same months (August-March) between 2017 and 2022.
The majority of EU countries reached the -15% target, with the exception of Ireland (-0.2%), Slovakia (-1.0%), Spain (-10.8%), Poland (-12.5%), Slovenia (-13.8%) and Belgium (-14.5%), which recorded smaller decreases, and Malta (smallest gas consumer among all EU members using gas), which actually saw a 12.7% increase between August 2022 and March 2023. Consumption fell the most in Finland (-55.7%), Lithuania (-40.5%) and Sweden (-37.2%) and in other EU countries, consumption dropped beyond the 15% target.
The article containing this information can be found at the following link:
EU gas consumption decreased by 17.7% - Products Eurostat News - Eurostat (europa.eu).
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) report monthly to the European Commission on Ireland's gas demand. The most recently reported figures by CRU to the European Commission were for May 2023. In summary -
• Power Gen is up 6% on the 5 year rolling average
• Industrial and commercial is down 13% on the 5 year rolling average
• Residential is down 40% on the 5 year rolling average
• Overall gas demand is down 4% on the 5 year rolling average.
196. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on Q2 2023 targets in the Climate Action Plan to manage our energy transition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35289/23]
View answerClimate Action Plan 2023, published in December 2022, sets out the policies, measures and actions that will be necessary to achieve the required emissions reductions in the energy sector.
Our ambition is to deliver up to 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030. This will involve a dramatic reduction in fossil fuel generation; increasing renewable electricity; reinforcing the electricity grid (including greater interconnection to allow electricity to flow between Ireland and other European Countries); and putting systems in place to manage intermittent sources of power, especially from wind.
Reducing our emissions in the Built Environment sector means both reducing the energy demand through energy efficiency and decarbonising the energy that we do use. Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings will not only reduce emissions, but also reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and improve our living standards, by providing buildings which are more comfortable, healthier, safer and less costly to heat. Electrification of heat and the deployment of district heating will ensure that our buildings are heated using zero emissions sources.
Achieving these targets requires changes across all sectors of society and the economy. These changes will require a collaborative effort by Government, businesses, communities, and individuals to implement new and ambitious policies, technological innovations, systems and infrastructures.
Progress Reports on delivery under the Climate Action Plan are published by the Department of the Taoiseach and can be viewed.
www.gov.ie/en/publication/55fde-climate-action-important-publications/.
197. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to report on the number of new grid connections in 2022, in q1 2023 and in q2 2023 for renewable energy per source, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35291/23]
View answerThe Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is the key Government policy to support the deployment of onshore renewable generation projects at scale. The successes of the first two onshore RESS auctions meant that 2022 was a record year for renewable electricity generation connections to the grid in Ireland.
In 2022, an additional 330 MW of onshore wind, 370 MW of solar, and 80 MW of battery storage were connected to the grid. While over the first half of 2023, circa 90 MW of onshore wind, 10 MW of solar, and circa 75 MW of battery storage capacity were connected to the grid.
The second half of 2023 is expected to have significantly larger amounts of renewable connected to the grid, as the remaining RESS 1 projects reach their final milestone and early RESS 2 projects connect as well as delivery of projects under Corporate Power Purchase Agreements.
198. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the level of funding provided to sustainable energy communities in 2022, in q1 2023 and in q3 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35292/23]
View answer199. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the number of sustainable energy communities that were funded in 2022, in q1 2023 and in q3 2023, in tabular form; the level of funding provided to each project funded in 2022, in q1 2023 and in q3 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35293/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.
The Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Programme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The Programme supports the low carbon energy transition by developing skills and capacity, at a community level, in determining how to use less energy, adopting lower carbon options for transport and heating, shifting energy use to off-peak times or investing in smart technologies.
SEAI provides 100% funding to communities to undertake energy master plans. These plans allow a community to assess and understand it’s current and future energy needs (in electricity, heat and transport) in order for the community to make informed decisions and prioritise actions. It helps communities to identify opportunities so they can become more energy efficient, use renewable energy where possible, and use smart energy technology if appropriate. Energy Master Plan grants are issued for 12 months with up to 4 milestone payments possible across the 12 months. Extensions are available on request.
|
Year |
Quarter |
Number of New SECs |
Number of Energy Master Plan Grants Offered |
Amount Paid |
Number of Community Milestones Paid |
|
2022 |
1 |
24 |
13 |
€ 55,397.72 |
9 |
|
2 |
27 |
16 |
€ 83,239.23 |
18 |
|
|
3 |
14 |
2 |
€ 186,712.30 |
23 |
|
|
4 |
28 |
11 |
€ 139,548.18 |
19 |
|
|
2023 |
1 |
38 |
10 |
€ 104,265.61 |
13 |
|
2 |
31 |
12 |
€ 190,097.24 |
19 |
|
|
Total |
162 |
64 |
€ 759,260.28 |
101 |
203. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to report on his plans to develop Ireland’s offshore wind energy grid connection capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35335/23]
View answerA new framework for Ireland’s offshore electricity transmission system was approved by Government in April 2021 with the associated policy statement providing for a phased transition from the decentralised model to a centralised model as part of the wider transition towards a plan-led Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) regime. The policy envisages that in the centralised model transmission system assets will be planned, developed, owned and operated by EirGrid.
The Phase One projects that were successful in the first Offshore Renewable Support Scheme (O-RESS) auction will build and develop the associated offshore transmission system with ownership to transfer to EirGrid in line with CRU’s Offshore Grid Connection Asset Treatment Decision published in February 2023.
In Phase Two, during which the State is targeting 5 GW of grid connected capacity, offshore transmission infrastructure can be developed by either EirGrid or the projects successful under the second O-RESS auction. Phase Two auction participants will compete to develop offshore wind capacity within Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Designated Areas, which will be designated according to legislative provisions for Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs) in the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. The location of Phase Two ORE Designated Areas will be geographically aligned with available onshore grid capacity, in addition to being informed by environmental considerations.
While this is a matter for EirGrid, the company have announced plans to build two offshore substations that will connect 900MW of offshore wind off the South coast. Contingent on environmental considerations and Oireachtas approval, the initial Phase Two ORE Designated Area (ORE DMAP) will be adopted by the end of 2023.
204. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to address retrofitting in the rental sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35400/23]
View answer206. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how many rental properties were retrofitting in 2022, Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35404/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 206 together.
I recognise that rental properties can present a specific challenge for energy efficiency improvements. This is an issue found in most countries where the incentives to invest in energy upgrades can be misaligned between landlords and tenants.
The Government’s Housing for All Plan commits to the introduction of a minimum BER for private rental properties, where feasible, from 2025, and to develop a roadmap to implement these standards. Additionally, as part of Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, the Government launched a new package of supports targeting homes that were built and occupied pre-2011. These supports, which have been made available to non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to improve the efficiency of their rental properties, include:
• The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One Stop Shop Service) provides grant support of approximately 50% of the typical cost for private landlords with higher supports available for AHBs.
• The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides support to landlords for step-by-step retrofits.
• Landlords can also receive support to upgrade their properties under the Community Energy Grant Scheme.
• 80% grants are available to landlords for attic and cavity wall insulation, which are low-cost measures that can be installed quickly and cost effectively.
As published in SEAI's quarterly reports, in 2022 68% (437 homes) of the properties upgraded under the One Stop Shop Scheme were owned by AHBs. 151 additional AHB homes were retrofitted under the scheme in Q1 2023. Figures in relation to AHB homes completed in Q2 2023 will be available shortly. SEAI does not collect information on non-corporate landlords availing of retrofit grants.
In addition to these supports, a tax incentive is now in place to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while the tenant remains in situ. This measure provides for a tax deduction of up to €10,000 per property, against Case V rental income, for certain retrofitting expenses incurred by the landlord on rented residential properties, for a maximum of two rental properties. Full details are set out in Section 32 of the Finance Act 2022.
It should also be noted that the Housing for All plan commits to the retrofitting of 36,500 local authority homes by 2030 as part of the achievement of the Climate Action Plan retrofit targets.
