The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has released data revealing that in the first three months of the year, a sum of €73 million was disbursed in grants for energy-efficient retrofits to homes – a substantial escalation of 29% compared with the same timeframe last year. The opening quarter of the year witnessed an upsurge in retrofitting measures, with an 18% increment in homes receiving these energy-saving upgrades in comparison to the first quarter of last year.
This year, the SEAI has set an ambitious goal of allocating €437 million in grants via the retrofit scheme. They aim to financially back energy-reducing initiatives for 52,200 properties; out of these, nearly 20,800 homes should achieve a B2 energy level.
As per the quarterly report issued by the authority on Tuesday, the most significant statistics are as follows:
-Completed property upgrades surpassed 11,700, representing an annual increase of 18%;
-Homes enhanced to Ber B2 level or beyond numbered over 5,050 presenting a whopping 53% yearly growth;
-Applications received across all schemes exceeded 15,450, a decrease of 1% year-on-year;
-Approvals for low-income household upgrades neared 1,200, a year-on-year surge of 25%;
-A total of €73 million was expended, marking a 29% climb compared to the same time last year;
-Support was provided for 79 upgrades put forward by approved housing bodies under the One-Stop-Shop scheme;
-Community buildings were approved for 51 upgrades.
Solar panel grants were particularly prevalent during the first three months of the year. The first quarter saw 6,005 such grants being sanctioned, in comparison to 3,985 during the equivalent period in 2023.
Dublin saw the most solar grants distribution, with grants growing to 1,347 in the first quarter, up from 884 during the same period of 2023. In contrast, Co. Longford received the minimal number of these grants, standing at 31 during the first quarter, an increment of 15 compared to the identical segment in 2023.
Under the Community Energy Grants initiative, a marginal increase was observed with 130 community buildings being retrofitted. This was higher than the 30 retrofitted in the initial quarter of 2023. There was also an improvement in living conditions for just under 1,200 energy-poor households as a result of complimentary energy refurbishments. A significant number, 5,050 homes, achieved a B2 rating or higher.
Dr Ciaran Byrne, a representative from SEAI, voiced that 2024 kicked off on a positive note. However, he highlighted that there was a 1% decline in the total number of processed applications from all schemes compared to the first quarter of 2023. This indicates a provision for the ongoing implementation of the nationwide retrofit programme in order to dismantle retrofitting obstacles, and thus increase demand and delivery.