Home retrofitting funding shortfall
Deputy Naughten argued that retrofit spending was far below what was needed to meet carbon targets and asked how much new money was being provided. The Minister said funding was significantly higher next year, citing warmer home schemes and local authority housing, and said uptake and labour supply would be the main constraints.
Project Ireland 2040 set a home retrofit target rate to see dirty fossil fuels taken out of our home heating systems by 2035. However, based on the rate of home retrofitting announced in last week's budget, it will now be 2050 before that is actually achieved. Yet, in order to reach our 2030 carbon budget goals we need to remove these fossil fuels from heating systems before the end of the decade. How much new money is going into retrofitting schemes next year? Why is there a 50% shortfall in what was actually committed to in 2018?
Comment on this
The biggest shortfall in the past year has been due to the Covid pandemic. We made a decision, in respect of retrofitting in people's homes, that it would not be possible in the first half of the year.
Comment on this
There is a significant further increase in funding for next year. There is €109 million for the warmer home schemes. I understand the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has allocated €85 million for local authority housing. From memory, I understand approximately €120 million has also been allocated. A significant budget is available. That will not be the constraint. The first constraint will be in the public uptake. The second constraint will be the availability of workers. That is why the State is also investing significantly in apprenticeship schemes. The Minister, Deputy Harris, is putting in place measures in SOLAS and other training systems so that we can develop workers. Budget will not be the limiting factor in the next two to three years. We need to ramp things up and then scale up beyond that.
An additional €60 million is being provided for a loan support scheme for householders who will raise finance for their own homes. The Oireachtas joint committee set out the level of ambition. I understand the target is 500,000 houses during this decade. The Deputy is right; it would take three decades under that timetable. If at the end of that every single home is insulated that will be of huge benefit not just in terms of climate but also health.