14 February 2006

Communications, Marine and Natural Resources

Domestic grants for sustainable construction

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the steps he has taken to make available domestic grants for sustainable construction solution as outlined in budget 2006.

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. N. Dempsey):

The multiannual financial package announced in budget 2006 provides funding for renewable energy schemes totalling €65 million for the period between 2006 and 2010. The renewables package includes a grant aid package for the domestic sector, which will provide for individual grants to install renewable energy technologies including wood pellet boilers, solar panels and geothermal heat pumps. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in conjunction with Sustainable Energy Ireland, is developing the necessary detailed measures to roll out the new programme, which will be announced shortly. Under Sustainable Energy Ireland’s research, development and demonstration programme, House of Tomorrow, financial support is directed at encouraging developers of new-build and refurbishment housing to incorporate design and technology features which deliver significantly superior energy and carbon dioxide performance. Some 55 housing demonstration projects and 2,650 homes have benefited from the programme to date. The technologies installed include:

condensing boilers in 1,708 homes,

solar water heating in 531 homes,

heat recovery ventilation in 381 homes,

ground source heat pumps in 176 homes

and wood pellet boilers in 308 homes.