118. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the steps being taken to address delays in accessing BER assessments, particularly for homeowners seeking to apply for SEAI grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65196/26]

My Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to support homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Since the introduction earlier this year of new and expanded measures under the National Residential Retrofit Plan, demand across the SEAI retrofit schemes has been exceptionally high with applications more than doubling year-on-year. The Building Energy Rating (BER) system administered by the SEAI currently has 1,143 registered assessors operating countrywide. In order to achieve our ambitious national retrofit targets new assessor registrations and the increases in grant applications due to the introduction of new grants and the energy crisis are closely monitored by the SEAI.

The various part-funded SEAI upgrade schemes have different terms and conditions, including in relation to the pre-works BER and the timeframes for the completion of works on the schemes. No pre-works BER is required for Better Energy Homes (BEH) and Solar PV Schemes to qualify for grant support.

Under the BEH Scheme, homeowners have 8 months to complete the works from the date of the grant offer. The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme and Community Energy Grant Scheme are part-funded schemes where homeowners engage a registered One Stop Shop or Project Co-ordinator to manage the grant application process and oversee delivery of the retrofit on their behalf. Works must be completed under these schemes within 12 months.

The Warmer Homes Scheme provides fully funded retrofits. The scheme is funded through carbon tax revenues and the European Regional Development Fund. Given the very high number of applications (10,300 in 2025 compared to approximately 2,800 in 2021), the cycle time in the first half of 2026 from application to pre-BER published is 8 months. The post works BER/inspection is approximately 2 to 3 months after works are completed. My Department and the SEAI continue to keep waiting times under review, and to work to deliver energy upgrades to low-income households and reduce the waiting times for the Warmer Homes Scheme as a priority.

The requested data on the number of SEAI registered assessors by county and the average waiting time for a homeowner to secure a BER assessment nationally and by county, is not routinely supplied by the SEAI to my Department. It is suggested that the Deputy contact the SEAI directly in relation to this matter. Oireachtas members can submit their queries by contacting the dedicated email address: oireachtas@seai.ie