Darragh O’Brien has told people that their energy bills will "plummet" if they take advantage of the Government’s increased grants for retrofitting. 

According to the EPA, residential buildings were responsible for 9.7% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. 

Reducing that figure is a key central to the Government’s efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions. 

However, many homeowners lack the money to invest in the retrofitting measures that reduce both bills and carbon emissions. 

A man installing loft insulation. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

With that in mind, Climate Minister Darragh O’Brien said the Government had decided to increase the grants available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. 

“What I've basically brought forward is a retrofitting passport,” he explained on The Pat Kenny Show.  

“For example, if you want to do your windows and doors, before I made these changes, you could only get a windows and doors grant if you did the full retrofit, the heat pump, all of that, the wrapping it out. I've broken that up.

“So, you now can get a windows and doors grant of up to €5,600 - if your house is of a certain standard already, you can get that on its own.” 

workers retrofitting a home. Picture by: JG Photography / Alamy Stock Photo.

Minister O’Brien continued that this would cut the cost of getting new windows and doors on a three bedroom house by as much as 50%.

Since 2019, close to a quarter of a million Irish homes have claimed SEAI grants to retrofit their properties, cutting both bills and carbon emissions. 

“It is working,” Minister O’Brien added. 

“It reduces people's household bills on a permanent basis, which is really important and it reduces their energy usage. 

“But in particular, [it helps] the middle income cohort, people who've got kids and may have some savings, but don't want to deploy them all - that's why these grants have been changed.” 

A worker setting up central gas heating boiler at home. Picture by: ronstik/Alamy. 

One major source of carbon emissions is gas boilers, which while cheap to install are costly to run. 

Conversely, zero carbon heat pumps are more expensive to install but cheaper to run. 

“They're a very climate friendly and efficient way of heating one's house and also very cheap in relation to ongoing bills, I've effectively doubled the heat pump grant,” Minister O’Brien said. 

“It's up to €12,500 - that makes a colossal difference to me - it is, in many instances, to replace your radiators to it. So, I've acknowledged that. 

“But your bills will plummet. 

“And what we're targeting with these grant measures, we envisage about 70,000 grants this year alone.”

Main image: Darragh O'Brien and a man fitting a new window. Pictures by: Alamy.com.