With the news that the previous government's €2 billion retrofitting grant is under review, why is the grant not being taken up by more people?
Is the grant too difficult to avail of, and is it actually saving people any money?
Former President of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland Carole Pollard said the scheme needs to be “repurposed”.
“It’s very difficult to use at the present time because people have to pay upfront to do the work,” she told The Hard Shoulder.
“I know a project that I’m working on at the moment, which is a Victorian house, it’s about 160 square metres, including a new kitchen that we’re putting on the back of it.
“The clients there have to fork out €150,000 of their own money in the first instance to carry out the work, with the hope that they will get all of that money back when the project is complete.
“But there’s no guarantee that they will.”
A construction worker retrofitting a site on George's Street Dublin, 16-03-2021. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNewsMs Pollard said “people are unsure” about how, when, or if they will even get their money back from retrofitting grants.
“Ireland is just so expensive, it’s a huge thing to ask people to take that risk,” she said.
“And I think that’s the main problem.
“So, you know, the Government need to look at that in terms of how can they make it more user friendly.”
According to Ms Pollard, this uncertainty is exacerbated by a lack of available contractors, and “incredibly expensive” materials.
Main image: Builders attaching / fitting rigid foam wall insulation sheets / panels / boards to the gable end of Victorian terraced house UK
