A €2 billion pledge by the previous government to retrofit residential homes by 2030 is now being re-examined by Minister for Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien, reports RTE.
A spokesperson for the department informed RTÉ News that, following the release of the updated National Development Plan on Tuesday, budget allocations for particular programme areas are “still being finalised”.
After the Green Party joined a coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in 2020, a newly crafted National Development Plan was introduced, placing a stronger emphasis on environmental and climate-related goals, reports RTE.
One key priority was boosting funding for home retrofitting, as it improves insulation and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
Under that coalition’s plan, the retrofit budget was set to rise from €202 million in 2022 to €2 billion by 2030, reports RTE.
This week, the current Government unveiled an updated National Development Plan, increasing NDP spending by €30 billion over the next five years.
Yet, the document does not specify which projects will be funded or the exact amounts allocated, reports RTE.
When asked whether the retrofitting budget would reach €2 billion by 2030, a spokesperson from the Department of Energy stated that individual budget lines are “still being finalised”, but noted that €550 million — a record amount — has been allocated for the sector this year.
Green Party Energy Spokesperson Ossian Smyth cautioned that moving away from the previous 2030 targets would be a setback for the public and would further risk Ireland missing its carbon emissions goals, reports RTE.
A spokesperson from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment stated: “The Programme for Government affirmed the Government’s commitment to making Ireland’s buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering energy costs for households. By promoting retrofitting, renewable heating, and solar energy, we aim to make homes warmer, cheaper to heat, and less reliant on fossil fuels,” reports RTE.
“We are delivering at scale and pace on our National Retrofit Plan, with €421m of capital expenditure and almost 54,000 home energy upgrades completed last year in 2024. This year, in 2025, a record capital budget of over €550m has been allocated to the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme. This allocation will support over 64,500 home energy upgrades to make homes warmer, healthier and more comfortable, with lower emissions and lower bills,” reports RTE.
“More broadly, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment welcomes the substantial of €5.64bn allocation under the National Development Plan review, in addition to a landmark €3.5bn investment in Ireland’s electricity grid infrastructure. Thereafter, allocations of monies to specific programme areas within the department are still being finalised. Programme allocations will be announced in due course. The Government is committed to the continued delivery of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including delivering more B2 home energy upgrades; revising and improving the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs; as well as the supporting group retrofitting projects and area-based approaches to retrofitting,” reports RTE.
“On our National Retrofit Plan, we continue to build on the progress achieved in recent years. Since 2019 and to mid-year 2025, there has been a record level of more than €1.4 billion invested in SEAI schemes to support over 213,000 home energy upgrades, including over 69,000 B2s and almost 28,000 fully-funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme,” reports RTE.
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