A Government grant scheme aimed at encouraging householders to convert their homes to use renewable heat technologies has surpassed its targets ahead of schedule and is set to be extended.
The Greener Homes Scheme was developed to stimulate demand for renewable technologies and to assist the fledgling industry in the country. Since its inception in March of last year, the scheme has awarded about 16,000 grants amounting to €47 million to home owners.
The result of the scheme has been a dramatic increase in the number of renewable technology suppliers, and a 10-fold expansion in the number of renewable energy products available on the Irish market.
Boilers that run on renewable fuel biomass have been the most popular products to date.
Announcing the extension of the scheme yesterday, Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said: "Greener Homes has fulfilled its objectives. Rather than concluding the scheme, I have decided that a new phase with revised terms and conditions is necessary to continue this good work.
"I will be securing additional funding for this new phase via the supplementary estimates process when the Dáil resumes."
The additional funding will also allow Sustainable Energy Ireland to fund similar energy grants for lower-income housing, schools and community schemes and the expansion of other innovative heating technologies.
"Minister Gormley will soon be introducing regulations requiring the use of renewable energy systems in new buildings. We will continue to roll out other new support measures and variations to the existing schemes to help achieve the carbon-reduction targets that are at the heart of our programme for government," said Mr Ryan.
