Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
166. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his plans to expand and upgrade the warmer homes and the better energy scheme for low-income households to include external wall insulation and replace all single glazed windows with double glazing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14597/26]
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.
The Warmer Homes Scheme has included external wall insulation and window upgrades since 2018. This was a very positive step forward and opened the scheme up to many who would have been unable to afford these measures.
These deeper measures increased both demand for the scheme and the average cost of upgrading a home, which has impacted on waiting times. However, providing these measures also moves homes closer to the level of energy performance required to install heat pumps.
The upgrades recommended for a particular property depend on many factors including age, size, type and the condition of the property. Typically, under the scheme, only single glazed windows would be replaced where the walls of the property are also being insulated.
8,139 homes were upgraded under the scheme in 2025 representing a more than five-fold increase in output since 2020. The average cost per home upgraded under the scheme in 2025 was €29,590, underlining the significant Government investment in upgrading these homes. Of the homes completed, just under 6,000 received an external insulation upgrade and just under 1,000 received a window upgrade.
To help maximise delivery, Budget 2026 provided record funding of €340 million for the Warmer Homes Scheme, with a target of 11,500 upgrades. This underlines the Government’s commitment to addressing energy poverty and means that more funding than ever will be available to make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat.
In January, Government published a National Residential Retrofit Plan including an enhanced set of measures to increase the delivery of home energy upgrades. These 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 budgets.
