Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
301. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a breakdown of the number of households who have availed of the loan for retrofitting, broken down by county and by year, since the schemes inception, in tabular form. [73833/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra302. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a breakdown of the pre- and post-BER rating of the households who have availed of the loan for retrofitting, in tabular form. [73834/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 302 together.
The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme (HEULS), which launched in April 2024, is intended to play a crucial role in helping homeowners invest in energy upgrades to make their homes warmer, healthier and more comfortable, with lower emissions and lower bills. It was developed by my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Finance, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the European Investment Bank Group.
The scheme is available nationwide and homeowners can borrow from €5,000 to €75,000 on an unsecured basis for a term of up to 10 years at significantly lower interest rates to those currently on the market. Rates start from as low as 2.99% with price varying depending on the finance provider. PTSB was the first lender to join in April 2024, with AIB and Bank of Ireland joining in June 2024. In 2025, the group of participating lenders has been expanded to include Avant Money (in partnership with An Post) and seven credit unions from the Irish League of Credit Unions.
At the end of September 2025, there were 776 loans drawn to a value of €38,258,801 since the scheme launched. The SBCI provide a regional breakdown of loan uptake on a quarterly basis. The Deputy may wish to note that as uptake figures in certain counties mean that it could be possible to identify individual homeowners, these figures have not been disclosed. Instead, cumulative uptake figures by region are provided in the table below.
Under the scheme, once approved, loans can be drawn before works begin. Once the energy upgrades have commenced, they often take a year or more to complete, depending on how comprehensive the project is. The post-BER can only be determined once a project is complete. By 30 September 2025, 206 home energy upgrades were completed and the average BER uplifts are provided in the table below.
In line with the Programme for Government’s commitment to “Promote the €500 million Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, offering low interest loans for home energy upgrades, from €5,000 to €75,000”, my Department continues to work closely with the SBCI, the SEAI and the participating finance providers to increase awareness of, and demand for, the scheme and drive additional uptake in 2025 and beyond.
The Deputy may wish to note that further information and quarterly reports related to the HEULS are available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/home-energy-upgrade-loan-scheme/
Table 1: Cumulative drawdown figures by region
|
Region |
Number of drawdowns to end 2024 |
Number of drawdowns to end Q3 2025 |
|
Border |
21 |
115 |
|
Dublin |
76 |
225 |
|
Mid-East |
34 |
94 |
|
Midlands |
12 |
26 |
|
Mid-West |
27 |
75 |
|
South-East |
19 |
51 |
|
South-West |
49 |
111 |
|
West |
40 |
79 |
|
Total |
268 |
776 |
Table 2: Completions by BER uplift
|
Initial BER |
Upgraded to A1 |
Upgraded to A2 |
Upgraded to A3 |
Upgraded to B1 |
Upgraded to B2 |
Grand Total by end Q3 2025 |
|
B3 |
19 |
6 |
|
|
|
25 |
|
C1 |
17 |
9 |
5 |
|
|
31 |
|
C2 |
11 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
|
22 |
|
C3 |
15 |
5 |
4 |
|
|
24 |
|
D1 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
24 |
|
D2 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
18 |
|
E1 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
18 |
|
E2 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
|
F |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
8 |
|
G |
5 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
|
23 |
|
Grand Total |
90 |
50 |
42 |
13 |
11 |
206 |
