107. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he or his Department plan to make changes to the warmer homes scheme to allow alternative sources of home heating for older homes that require extensive home energy upgrading work and whereby a heat pump might not be suitable; if he plans to extend the scheme to allow for more targeted home energy upgrades whereby following a home energy upgrade inspection, the primary suggestion is only for home insulation as the current central heating system is obsolete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73206/25]
Sentiment score: 0.29
As the Minister of State will know, the better energy warmer homes scheme is an incredibly popular scheme. Now that the Government has expanded eligibility to fuel supplement recipients more and more people are availing of it. The Taoiseach said that 26% of homes are eligible for the fuel supplement. The changes earlier in the year to the European Commission's rulings on state funding of replacement of fossil fuel devices is having an impact on the better energy warmer homes scheme. It is time for the scheme to be reviewed to reflect that.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I appreciate the response. The most important point the Minister of State made is that this is a fully funded scheme. Unlike the other grant schemes available to local authorities under which the responsibility falls on the individual owner to decide how they will replace their boiler, this is a fully funded scheme and it is up to the SEAI to provide the solution. There is difficulty, however, for a number of people I have been dealing with who previously would have been eligible for the full scheme with the wraparound and all the rest of it. Because of this issue with the boilers I am aware that in one case the household ended up getting four LED bulbs and a bit of attic insulation. The SEAI needs to get better at having a solution in place. The example I gave was a gentleman called Bill in Elm Mount. He spent a year waiting for that decision and he was incredibly disappointed. Another lady called Monica is 88 years of age. She was offered a heat pump under the pilot scheme but she really was not sure what a heat pump was and there was no real explanation of how she could be helped. The SEAI needs to get better at putting in place a solution and explaining it to people when it is offered.
Sentiment score: 0.10
The Minister of State is right that this scheme has transformed the scheme but because of that decision not to replace a gas boiler, a very expensive heat pump system is being put in place. That is fantastic for those who avail of this but that transforms the scheme itself and the cost of the scheme. It will mean that fewer people will have access to the scheme if those resources are used. There is a question to be asked: where the boiler is not replaced by SEAI, why they cannot just put in the insulation and leave the boiler as it is? People will be in a better and warmer home with the insulation going into their home and leaving the boiler as it is, or leave them to apply for it through a council grant or replacement parts. They are being excluded from the whole scheme because of the single issue of the boiler. I had a public meeting on this. SEAI provided us with their mentor, a fantastic guy who came out. There is a lot of interest in this scheme, in the solar grants and in all that is available. Given the changes to the European regulations around carbon fuels and the changes to the scheme, it just needs to be tweaked to make sure that a really positive scheme continues to be positive.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I appreciate that.
Sentiment score: 0.40