Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 February 2026
197. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will allow retrospective access to SEAI's individual energy upgrade grants for households impacted by a company that went insolvent (details supplied) after they had paid a deposit for works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8131/26]
View answerMy Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), an Agency under the aegis of my Department.
In line with the Programme for Government commitments, the Government is taking decisive action to provide warmer, more comfortable homes, as part of our drive to support energy affordability, security, and sustainability.
Following Government approval at Cabinet last week, I have published a National Residential Retrofit Plan and an enhanced set of measures to increase the delivery of home energy upgrades.
The National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026, including its new and enhanced set of measures, will continue to make home energy upgrades more accessible and affordable making it easier for homeowners to undertake deep retrofits on a phased basis as suits their respective budgets.
The SEAI operate their schemes within a specified governance framework with a set of rules determining eligibility for grant support. Accordingly, these schemes have terms and conditions in place to ensure the transparent administration of public monies. Achieving this requires that the processes and systems are clear and efficient and operate in a manner which is fair to all applicants. This includes ensuring that the contractor is registered for the type of work that they are carrying out and have grant approval in place before works commence.
In order to avail of the SEAI grants, scheme applicants are required to have a contract in place with their chosen company which provides appropriate levels of consumer protection. Any agreement, contract or payment schedules agreed that may have been entered into, is a private contractual matter between those two parties, as is the case for any goods, works and services contracts.
The administration and management of the schemes is an operational matter for the SEAI. The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members, including on individual scheme terms and conditions, so that such queries can be addressed promptly and in line with the SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is pq@seai.ie.
