Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
193. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of assessors either employed directly or contracted by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to carry out assessments under the warmer homes scheme; the number assigned in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67197/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra194. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the tendering and procurement process used by the SEAI for assigning contractors to deliver works under the warmer homes scheme; whether tenders are issued on a national or county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67198/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra195. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of contractors currently approved by the SEAI to carry out warmer homes scheme retrofit works; the number operating in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67199/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra196. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the average period of time between an SEAI assessment of a property under the warmer homes scheme and the issuing of a tender for works; the median and maximum timeframes currently recorded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67200/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra197. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to outline the workflow for a warmer homes scheme application from initial application through assessment, tendering, contractor allocation, and commencement of works; and to detail any capacity bottlenecks identified within this process. [67201/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra198. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the average waiting time for applicants in each county, from date of application to completion of works under the warmer homes scheme; and the reasons for any significant regional delays. [67202/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra199. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures being taken to increase assessor and contractor capacity and reduce delays in the warmer homes scheme; and the expected timeline for improvements. [67203/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra200. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether the SEAI has performance targets for the time between assessment and issuing of tenders for warmer homes scheme projects; the targets set; and the current performance of SEAI against those targets. [67204/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra201. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the extent to which contractor availability at county level is contributing to delays in the warmer homes scheme; and the steps being taken to address shortages in counties with long waiting times. [67205/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra202. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if tendering for warmer homes scheme works is conducted in batches; the criteria used; and whether funding certainty or administrative processes contribute to tendering delays. [67206/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 193 to 202, inclusive, together.
Last year saw a record spend of almost €230 million under the scheme. As reported by the SEAI, this resulted in 7,743 upgrades being provided to low-income households. This year’s budget includes an allocation of €280 million for the Warmer Homes Scheme.
Increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit and improvements to the Warmer Homes Scheme is driving increased levels of demand for the scheme with over 45,700 applications received over the period from January 2022 to end October 2025.
The SEAI publish indicative wait times on their website for each stage of the process. This is available here: https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/fully-funded-upgrades-for-certain-homeowners.
The average waiting time under the Warmer Homes Scheme, from application to completion of upgrade works for homes completed in 2025 was 21 months for Priority 1 homes and 22 months for Priority 2 homes. This represents a decrease from an average of 26 months for homes completed in 2022. The increase in depth of retrofit to an average value of just over €29,000 per home is also reflected in the waiting times as more significant works take a longer time per home to complete. It is also important to note that the scheme was impacted significantly by construction sector closures and restrictions on home visits associated with COVID-19 in recent years which resulted in a build-up of applications.
The reduction in wait times follows a range of measures introduced by my Department and SEAI including.
• SEAI has been allocated additional staff for the Warmer Homes Scheme;
• SEAI work to increase contractor output through active contract engagement and management;
• Actions to address ongoing supply chain and inflationary pressures;
• Budget 2025 allocated a record €280 million for the scheme this year through carbon tax receipts via the Exchequer and by the European Regional Development Fund;
• ERDF funding of €264 million over the period 2021 until 2027;
• Increased contractor capacity.
The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to waiting times on a county by county basis, the tendering process for the warmer homes scheme and associated works, contractor performance, application workflows and the number of assessors working on the scheme are operational matters and are not routinely supplied by the SEAI to my Department. It is suggested that the Deputy contact the SEAI directly in relation to these matters. The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members 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 oireachtas@seai.ie.
My officials continue to work with the SEAI to maximise and accelerate the output of free energy upgrades provided under this important scheme.
