National Retrofit Programme facing 'unprecedented challenges', Oireachtas committee told

Retrofitting projects like wall insulating can save hundreds of euro a year on heating bills.

Plans to retrofit 500,000 homes are already "falling way, way short" of yearly targets, it has been claimed, as the body tasked with overseeing it admits "unprecedented times" are causing major delivery challenges.

This year, around 36,000 applications have been received by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) across all schemes, with around 28,800 homes being retrofitted, the body told TDs and senators at the Oireachtas climate committee.

The Government's €8bn National Retrofit Programme, announced in February, is being administered through the SEAI and aims to carry out 500,000 deep retrofits, or around 30% of Ireland's housing stock, with different grants.

Plans include the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, which is a one-stop shop offering grants for a typical B2 home energy upgrade, including enhanced grants for heat pumps, while the Warmer Homes Scheme provides free upgrades to homeowners on low incomes.

SEAI director of research Margie McCarthy.

SEAI director of research Margie McCarthy told the committee that 12 firms have been registered as one-stop shops, with 10 more at various stages in the registration process.

"To date in 2022, over 36,000 applications have been received by SEAI across our schemes, and all are experiencing significant levels of demand from homeowners," she said. 

"This equates to approximately 28,800 homes being retrofitted. 

Homeowners typically have a period of eight months to complete works once approved, and there are constraints on delivery at the present time. 

The Warmer Homes Scheme is our main energy poverty scheme and operates under different conditions and constraints to our other schemes. Over 3,200 homes have been delivered on the Warmer Homes Scheme to date in 2022."

The National Retrofit Plan is experiencing many of the same challenges facing the wider economy, namely inflation and supply chain constraints in terms of labour and materials, she warned.

"While anecdotal information suggests that the material supply chain constraints experienced immediately post Covid-19 have eased in recent months, many suppliers are reporting difficulties in securing appropriate labour supply," she said.

Also, the significant levels of inflation reported for some building products related to retrofit is a cause for concern."

'Problems on top of problems'

People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith said the figures to date showed the national plan was “falling way, way short” of its retrofit targets, with up to 70,000 per year needed to hit the target of 500,000 retrofits to a B2 equivalent by 2030.

A one-stop shop works well for those with a "good, hefty income" and could pay upfront for deep retrofitting, while the Warmer Homes Scheme worked for those with on fuel allowance, and the SEAI did the work for free, she said.

Compounding this, she said, was a waiting list of more than two years for work to be done.

"We're piling problems on top of problems," she added.

Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton and Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore called for "shallow works" to be prioritised to chip away at what was needed, such as cavity wall programmes and installation of updated heat controls.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB