ENERGY EFFICIENCY:MINISTER FOR Energy Pat Rabbitte has expressed confidence that an additional €30 million in funding which the Government is making available for domestic and commercial energy efficiency programmes this year will create 2,000 new jobs and see household fuel bills fall significantly.
Speaking at the launch of a Better Energy programme aimed at making retrofitting less complex and more affordable, Mr Rabbitte also called on the State’s two main retail banks to make €200 million available in loans for home insulation upgrades.
Mr Rabbitte said he had contacted AIB and Bank of Ireland and asked them to facilitate those who wanted to enhance the energy efficiency of their homes but lacked the funds.
He had been assured they were “on board” and willing to extend more credit.
Welcoming the decision by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to allocate an extra €30 million towards the national insulation upgrade programme under Tuesday’s jobs initiative, Mr Rabbitte said the programme would streamline three existing grant schemes. It would also support jobs, help the State meet its carbon-reduction targets and make it easier for consumers to manage energy bills
The Home Energy Savings Scheme – which has seen 88,000 homes carry out upgrades over the past two years – the Warmer Homes Scheme and the Greener Homes Scheme will now be under one umbrella and will be monitored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
The authority will oversee all activity of installers, and will carry out a building energy rating (BER) of every home before and after work to verify what measures have been taken and by whom.
Mr Rabbitte accepted that even with grants many consumers under financial pressure would struggle to come up with money to fund their portion of a retrofitting programme. That was why the support of the banks and the energy providers was so important.
He said ESB Electric Ireland, Bord Gáis Energy and Airtricity had all agreed to help consumers by paying for insulation work up front and then deducting the costs in instalments over several years.
However, the providers were not yet in a position to give a start date for these “pay-as-you-save” schemes.
He said the extra €30 million in Government funding would increase the allocated amount for retrofitting to €90 million this year, and would support 2,000 new jobs, most of which would come from the moribund construction sector.
He said he expected the Construction Industry Federation to play a role in making retrofitting more attractive to consumers.
“We have met with the CIF and asked what they can bring to the party. We will be expecting more than them simply looking for work.”
He said that given energy price trends and growing concerns over security of supply “the way we use energy is no longer simply a question of environmental responsibility but one of economic necessity”.
“Every euro spent by homeowners and businesses on energy efficiency not only brings about long-term energy savings but also helps support jobs and indigenous companies.”
Under the project insulation programmes are to be made less complex so people can make more informed choices about the most suitable energy-saving measure for them.
“Ireland needs a strong green building sector, founded upon sustainable principles. Better Energy will help drive this agenda by building upon existing successful domestic grant programmes to take the scale of activity to a new level,” said Mr Rabbitte.