Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
689. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on current guidelines for local authorities installing solar PV on social housing; if local authority tenants are eligible to apply for a grant for these either through their local authority or the SEAI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34366/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra690. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a survey has been done of electricity costs in social housing before and after retrofitting works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34367/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 689 and 690 together.
My Department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) provides grant funding to local authorities for upgrade works to their social housing stock that achieve a post works BER of 125KWh/m²/yr. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme out to 2030.
Works eligible under the EERP include attic and cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. These funded measures achieve the required BER rating.
In limited circumstances, for dwellings with a floor area less than 55m2, and where it is not practical to achieve a Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) specified by the SEAI guidance, the maximum HLI may be increased to 2.6 with additional fabric and air tightness requirements as listed in the EERP Circular 09/2026. Where this approach is adopted, installation of at least 1kWp of solar photovoltaic micro-generators on the dwelling with the heat pump is recommended, and is funded as eligible works under the EERP. More generally, under the Microgeneration Support Scheme led by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE), Solar PV is available for all domestic premises.
While my Department maintains records of pre and post retrofit kWh usage showing substantial reductions, there has been no formal survey of pre and post-works electricity costs.
The Department of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland analysis indicates that the scale of savings achievable varies by dwelling type, size, and heating system. Individual measures such as cavity wall, external wall, or attic insulation can reduce household heating costs by between €150 and €230 annually. Greater savings are possible where measures are undertaken as part of combined deeper upgrade packages; a household can save between €750 and €1,120 per year by installing a deep package of measures. Usage is obviously the driver of costs and savings and ultimately this is a matter for individual homeowners so savings will vary from house to house. In addition to direct financial benefits, energy upgrades contribute to warmer, healthier, and more resilient homes.
