The Green Party has called for planning rules for the installation of new energy efficient insulation to be relaxed. 

The party is making the call after a couple in Kilnamanagh, Dublin were told the external insulation they had had installed on their home was a breach of planning conditions. 

Initially, South Dublin County Council told Clive and Samantha Ryan they would be fined or even sent to jail if they did not remove the insulation by June. 

Council officials have now granted the Ryans permission to retain their insulations; however, Green Party spokesperson Mark Lynch described the row as “unfair and counterproductive”. 

“We’re asking people to retrofit their homes, to cut their energy bills and make them healthy and more comfortable,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“Instead of them being supported through this process, they were threatened with fines and imprisonment. 

“I got involved with them and helped them out because it really isn’t just about one household - it’s about protecting people from rising energy costs, living in healthier homes and combating energy poverty. 

“We need to remove the barriers that stop people taking action.” 

Workmen fix fire-resistant cladding panels and extra thermal insulation to an exterior wall. Picture by: Simon Turner / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Lynch said previous planning changes had led to a substantial increase in the number of people retrofitting their homes. 

“I think we can take what the Greens did with the domestic solar panels when we got rid of the planning requirement back in 2022,” he said. 

“Which actually resulted in a 175% increase in solar the following year and that trend continues.” 

A man measures loft insulation to cut down heat loss in a house. Picture by: Global Warming Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

Mr Lynch added that the Greens are not calling for a “complete blanket removal of the planning requirement.”

“You’ve got 800,000 homes that are either terraced or semi detached houses,” he said. 

“What you’re talking about is that for these types of homes, planning would be removed but the work would need to be conducted under certain guidelines and be conducted by an SEAI approved contractor. 

“That contractor would take responsibility for doing it within the confines of the guidelines.” 

In the Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised to, “Ramp up our targets to deliver more B2-equivalent home retrofits each year from 2026 to 2030, with a focus on lower income households.”

Main image: Builders retrofitting a house. Picture by: Alamy.com.