Enhanced Retrofitting Grants for Approved Housing Bodies will enable sector to tackle least energy-efficient AHB homes

The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) and the The Housing Alliance Climate Action Working Group welcome today’s announcement from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment of increased retrofitting grant rates for approved housing bodies (AHBs). The details published today come on foot of provisions in the Residential Retrofitting Plan, announced in January this year.

CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing Donal McManus says “The enhanced grant rates will help our member AHBs roll out a substantial retrofit programme to tackle the least energy-efficient homes and help reduce costs and improve the health and comfort levels for our social housing tenants.

“AHB social housing tenants are among those households that are increasingly experiencing energy poverty. As part of Ireland’s climate transition, the need for national and locally targeted interventions to address vulnerable groups has been highlighted by both the Climate Change Advisory Council and the Just Transition Commission”.

To date, AHBs have accessed SEAI grants for home energy upgrades to social housing with the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme and the Community Energy Grant (CEG) scheme. Today’s announcement also signals a targeted approach to retrofitting multi-unit AHB developments and increasing the number of heat pump installations. Funding increases under the CEG scheme, designed to group buildings under the same retrofit programme to provide energy improvements to individual homes more efficiently and more cost effectively, are particularly welcome.