€30m to warm up more homes

MINISTER for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan has announced that €30m will be invested in upgrading the energy efficiency of local authority homes this year.The funding is part of a three year jobs stimulus programme that will see the energy efficiency of 25,000 of the poorest insulated local authority homes improved.

Last year, Clare County Council carried out energy efficiency retrofitting on 366 houses.

Clare, which had a 2,330 local authority dwelling stock in 2011, will receive a general allocation of €75,000 this year, together with a supplementary allocation of €222,632, based on the proportion of exisating stock, which brings the initial allocation to €297,632.

Minister O’Sullilvan said an initial €15m funding should substantially complete the first phase of the insulation programme announced in June 2013 and ensure that every local authority house will have at a minimum draught proofing, attic insulation and where appropriate cavity wall insulation.

When Phase 1 is complete a further €15m will be allocated for more intennsive insulation measures that focus on the external or internal insulation of houses with solid or hollow block construction. In this second phase of works single glazed windows or particularly poor performing windows and doors can be replaced.

“This programme is delivering warmer homes and lower energy bills to thousands of local authority tenants. It is also supporting hundreds of jobs in the green energy sector, with many community-based organisations delivering the works and providing valuable training and experience to people who were unemployed,” said Minister O’Sullivan.