224. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether consideration is being given, within current and future publicly funded residential retrofit programmes, to the increasing risk of overheating in homes during warmer summer conditions; and whether guidance issued for retrofits and heat pump installations includes assessment of future cooling requirements over the expected lifetime of retrofit measures. [64355/26]

In Ireland, the primary cause of overheating in homes is the sun’s radiation coming through windows, which warms the inside of the house and is then trapped inside it. This is known as ‘solar gain’, i.e. the increase of internal temperature due to the sun.

The solution to overheating for all homes, regardless of its energy efficiency or home heating system, is to prevent overheating in the first instance. Instead of introducing air conditioning or active cooling, this can be done through measures that use little or no energy, such as shading, and the use of passive cooling techniques, e.g. cross ventilation.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's (SEAI) Building Energy Rating software and methodology - Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure – includes a function that can be used to assess the likelihood of a home to have high internal temperature in hot weather and the measures needed to limit the solar gain that leads to overheating.

Works supported by the SEAI schemes are completed in line with the respective scheme’s terms and conditions, including in line with the SEAI’s Contractor Code of Practice and Domestic Technical Standards and Specifications (DTSS), as well as best practice and technical guidance documents. The SEAI’s DTSS includes reference to risk of overheating for homes with large amounts of south facing windows in particular where they are undergoing deep retrofits, and where window upgrades are carried out.

My Department and the SEAI continuously monitor the retrofit landscape and have funded research in this particular space and will update guidance on retrofitting as necessary.