Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
121. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the efforts being made to reduce the waiting time for people who have applied for the warmer homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73221/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people at risk of energy poverty by providing fully funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department and is funded through carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund.
Increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit and improvements to the Warmer Homes Scheme is driving increased levels of demand for the scheme. 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.
The average waiting time under the scheme, from application to completion of upgrade works, to date in 2025, was 21 months for the worst performing homes. The represents a decrease from an average of 26 months for homes completed in 2022.
The reduction in waiting times follows a range of measures introduced by my Department and the SEAI, including: the allocation of additional staff to the scheme; a significantly increased budget allocation; active contract engagement and management by the SEAI to increase contractor output; as well as actions to address ongoing supply chain pressures.
Importantly, the SEAI have recently launched, on 8 December, a procurement process to establish a new €1.2 billion contractor panel to be in place in Q2 next year. This will support continued growth with a focus on scale, quality and output under the scheme.
Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households and reducing the waiting times for the Warmer Homes Scheme is a key priority for my Department and the SEAI.
