Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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181. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will amend the SEAI rule on a one home one visit in the SEAI warmer homes scheme to allow homeowners reapply for works that were not supported by grants in the 2014 scheme such as external wall insulation on houses in which walls were solid and could not be insulated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2520/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 and 181 together.

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme is funded by my Department and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to lower income households vulnerable to energy poverty. To date over 143,000 homes have received free upgrades under the scheme leaving them better able to afford to heat their homes to an adequate level. During the first 9 months of 2021, the approximate average value of the energy efficiency measures provided per household was €17,100.

Revisits under this scheme are currently not available. This enables the work programme to prioritise eligible homes that have not previously received free upgrades under the scheme. There are currently over 7,000 homeowners on the Warmer Homes Scheme work programme who have never received any upgrade works under the scheme. The National Retrofit Plan includes a commitment to review ways to improve how current energy poverty schemes target those most in need. Recommendations on the implementation of changes to the scheme to better target those most in need will be finalised shortly.

It is important to note that the grants available through SEAI aim to maximise emission reductions and deliver energy savings for the widest range of homeowners possible. The grants which are available, and their respective eligibility criteria, were selected as the most likely to deliver significant energy savings to homeowners as well as the best value for money for the Exchequer.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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174. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the supports, grant funding and other opportunities available to persons in specific non-domestic settings, such as schools, community buildings and farm settings, to invest in rooftop solar power generation and to benefit from the announced feed-in tariffs schemes in addition to SEAI grants for those generating up to 5.9kW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2177/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The pending introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff represents the first phase of a comprehensive enabling framework for micro-and small-scale generators in Ireland which will allow them to receive payment from their electricity supplier for all excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, which reflects the market value of the electricity.The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG on 1 December 2021. This decision outlines the interim arrangements for implementation of the CEG, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. The CEG will become available upon the transposition of Article 21 of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) into Irish law and will be available to both new and existing micro- and small-scale generators who fulfil the eligibility criteria set out in the CRU decision.

The second phase of the enabling framework is the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS). The final design of the MSS was approved by Government on 21 December 2021, and the scheme will open on a phased basis in 2022. Under the MSS, non-domestic applicants generating up to 6.0kW will be eligible for a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant at the same levels as domestic customers (max €2400), in addition to the CEG. This grant will become available later in 2022.

Solar PV is also one of a range of measures funded under the SEAI Communities Energy Grant Scheme which makes grant funding available to improve the energy efficiency of the building stock, and is open to domestic and non-domestic applications. For farm enterprises, grant supports for solar PV are also available from the Department for Agriculture, Food and Marine, under the Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme as part of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).