€130m made available for energy efficiency projects

The Government has set aside €130m as a dedicated fund to promote programmes for energy efficiency and renewable energy, with the hopes that a series of focuses could ultimately bring down the price of energy in Ireland.

Projects that are aimed at people “experiencing fuel poverty” will be the main focus, explained Alex White, the minister for energy, who claimed that this €130m brings the actual allocation of state funding in this area to €440m.

Speaking at an energy conference in Dublin today, White said a new ‘affordable energy strategy’ is in the offing, which would include measures to improve the uptake of energy efficiency retrofitting schemes in the private rented sector.

And he said his officials were working with the HSE on the design of a new programme targeted at people with acute health conditions who live in poorly-insulated homes.