608 home energy upgrades were completed in Clare last year as part of the Government strategy to upgrade Building Energy Ratings (BER) through retrofitting and installing energy efficient heat pumps.
The figure was obtained by Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey who asked Environment Minister Eamon Ryan for the number of retrofit enrolments in County Clare for each of the past five years and to outline the targets for each of the next five years.
Deputy Carey was told that the data he requested is not routinely reported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which is responsible for the delivery of the retrofitting scheme. However, Minister Ryan said that the available data showed that 27,200 home energy upgrades were delivered last year, which exceeded the targeted level.
This included financial support for 608 home energy upgrades in County Clare.
“My Department is working with SEAI to build on the strong performance in 2022. A target of 37,000 retrofits has been set for this year, and a record €356 million in funding has been allocated to SEAI this year for residential and community retrofit to support the achievement of this target,” Minister Ryan said.
The Climate Action Plan includes targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by the end of 2030.
This represents one of the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide and is a core element of the Government’s plan to reduce emissions from the residential sector.
