Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that South Dublin County Council’s multi-annual Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme needs to be massively accelerated if it is to have any meaningful impact.

A recent response from the Council indicated that of an eligible stock of approximately 9,000 homes, only 117 were approved for works in 2021 and only 200-300 approved for 2022. At that rate, it will take anywhere from 30-45 years to upgrade all 9,000 homes.

Teachta Crowe said:

“A recent response from SDCC indicates that their Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme is nowhere close to being adequate. Approximately 90% of the council’s housing stock has a BER rating of less than B2. This means that there is somewhere in the region of 9,000 homes in need of a retrofit.

“Unfortunately, the Council has indicated that of those 9,000 homes, only 117 were approved for upgrade works in 2021 and only 200-300 approved for 2022. At that rate, it will take anywhere from 30-45 years to upgrade all 9,000 homes.

“Rather than prioritising based on need, SDCC are working by area. This means that those who are in most need of a retrofit based on income or other needs such as medical issues may not see an upgrade for decades based on the Council’s glacial pace.

“This programme is vital to cut down on both energy costs and carbon output from heating homes. Only completing 300 a year is nowhere close to what is required and goes to show that this is far from a priority from the Council.

“The Government has to step in and resource SDCC and other councils properly so that the retrofitting of council housing stock can be done quickly and efficiently. The people of Dublin South West cannot wait 45 years just to have their homes insulated.”