Vulnerable households 'locked into oil and gas' by heating upgrade schemes, says senator

Lynn Boylan said: “At a time when the price of oil and gas is expected to remain volatile, installing oil and gas boilers in the homes of pensioners and people with disabilities is no transition at all, never mind a just one.”

Some lower-income households that have received heating system upgrades grants for their home are being “locked into oil and gas”, a Sinn Féin senator has said.

Lynn Boylan was reacting to new figures revealed in a parliamentary answer from the Department of the Environment that over 1,200 gas or oil heating systems were installed under two schemes aimed at supporting vulnerable households last year.