34. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total number of social houses, broken down per local authority, that have solar panels on them; the steps he intends taking to speed up their provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38657/24]

Local Authority social housing energy upgrades are a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. However, Approved Housing Body (AHB) properties are supported under the SEAI National Home Energy Upgrade and Community Energy Grant Schemes.

In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Local Authority Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage (DHLGH) and designed around the Programme for Government's commitment (led by my Department ), that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030. 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by DHLGH for those local authority housing retrofits.

Eligible works under the revised EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. The funded measures achieve the B2 or cost optimal equivalent level BER and therefore solar PV installation is not generally supported. However, in certain circumstances, DHLGH funds the installation of 1kWp solar PV for small social housing with a floor area less than 55 m2, with a maximum HLI of 2.6 on a pilot basis. In such cases local authorities are required to cooperate with SEAI as part of research monitoring the performance of heat pumps in these dwellings.

An annualised breakdown of the total funding provided and the number of properties upgraded under the Energy Efficiency Retrofit programme of local authority social housing for the years 2013-2023 is available on the DHLGH website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/668c1-energy-efficiency-retrofitting-programme-expenditure-output/