24. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his proposals to support consumers financially burdened by rising energy prices. [65973/26]

The conflicts in the Middle East and in Ukraine have caused significant disruption to global energy markets. The Government recognises the pressure that resulting high energy prices are placing on Irish consumers and businesses.

We have introduced a series of measures to reduce fuel prices and further measures are under consideration by the National Energy Affordability Taskforce and as part of the Budgetary process.

Specifically on fuel, the package of Government support measures, which now totals over €1.4 billion, is helping to reduce the cost burden at the petrol pump and assists key sectors such as agriculture and haulage that are critical to keeping our economy moving.

A range of measures in Budget 2026 also supported households with energy costs, including:

• an extension until 2030 of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity bills;

• enhanced social protection payments including an increase to the Fuel Allowance rate and an expansion in the eligibility rules; as well as

• the €400 income tax disregard for households involved in microgeneration which was extended for a further three years to end-2028.

Budget 2026 also provided a record allocation of €640 million for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's residential and community grant schemes, allowing us to target 73,000 home energy upgrades this year.

Simple upgrades like attic insulation, cavity wall, or external wall insulation can reduce heating bills by up to €230 annually. A full home retrofit can lead to savings of €750 to €1,120 per year on energy costs.

Almost 89,000 applications have been processed to end August 2026. This compares to 41,100 applications received to end August last year. This is a 116% increase year on year and follows changes to the schemes that I introduced earlier this year.

Capital expenditure of over €2 billion has delivered over 287,000 home energy upgrades from 2019 to end August 2026, including over 39,500 fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme.

A number of protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills. Anyone who is struggling with their bill is strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier. Suppliers have hardship funds and focused measures in place for any customers who find themselves in difficulty, and will not disconnect customers who engage with them.

It is important to note that the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the Additional Needs Payment to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulties with fuel bills.

The National Energy Affordability Taskforce is working intensively on an Energy Affordability Action Plan to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks. This Action Plan will be focused on short, medium and longer-term measures to support households and businesses to meet their energy costs.

Budget decisions will be announced on the 6th of October.