206. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the current average waiting time for the home surveys that are required to access the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's free energy upgrades. [57057/26]

The 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 revenues and the European Regional Development Fund.

The Warmer Homes Scheme is available to owner-occupied properties, based on the householder being in receipt of certain Department of Social Protection (DSP) income supports. The scheme targets support to those on the lowest incomes who are living in the least efficient homes so that the resources available can have the greatest impact in addressing energy poverty.

The breakdown of average waiting times under the Warmer Homes Scheme to end June 2026 is:

Application to Pre-BER Published - 8 months;

Application to Survey Completed - 13 months; and

Application to Works Completed - 23 months.

This represents a decrease from an average waiting time of 26 months for homes completed in 2022. In parallel with this decrease in the average waiting time, the number of homes upgraded in a year has almost doubled over the same period, increasing from over 4,200 in 2022 to over 8,100 in 2025.

The reduction in waiting times and increase in number of homes upgraded follows a range of measures introduced by my Department and the SEAI. These include the allocation of additional staff to the Warmer Homes Scheme; a significantly increased budget allocation; active contract engagement and management by the SEAI to increase contractor output; as well as actions to address ongoing supply chain pressures.

The SEAI have established a new €1.2 billion contractor panel this year, which will support continued growth with a focus on scale, quality and output under the scheme.

The SEAI have also developed a Waiting List Action Plan with the objective of reducing the number of clients waiting for an upgrade, ensuring prioritisation of the worst performing homes, and improving efficiencies across the scheme.

To help maximise delivery and continue to improve waiting times, Budget 2026 provided record funding of €340 million for the Warmer Homes Scheme, with a target of 11,500 fully funded home upgrades for 2026.

My officials continue to work with the SEAI to maximise and accelerate the output of free energy upgrades provided under this important scheme.