Over 1,400 home energy upgrades completed in Louth in 2024

The government supported 1,465  home energy upgrades via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in Louth in 2024, according to the latest SEAI Retrofit Report.

There have been 5,802 home energy upgrades under the scheme in Louth since 2019.

In 2024 in Louth there were 6 community energy grants, 144 grants under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme, 312 under the Better Energy Homes Scheme and 961 under the Solar PV scheme.

Briefing cabinet on national retrofitting progress, Minister O'Brien shared the SEAI 2024 Full Year Retrofit Report.

Nationally, as of the end of 2024, the government had invested €1.2 billion in energy upgrades across 186,000 homes and 156 community energy projects, with one third of the expenditure in 2024. 

Half of all this expenditure, €600 million, was on upgrades to homes in energy poverty. These upgrade works leveraged a further €1.1 billion in private investment and have led to new annual carbon dioxide abatement of more than 310kT CO2 per annum.

Government expenditure across all schemes reached €416.7 million in 2024, up 30% year on year. Of the homes upgraded, 7,700 were in energy poor households which received totally free energy upgrades.

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien, said:

"This report shows continued steady progress and delivery across SEAI home energy upgrade schemes. It’s particularly positive to see that there was a 31% increase in the delivery of upgrades for energy poverty households, with over 7,700 completed in 2024 – this works out at an average of 150 upgrades every week last year. Home energy upgrades have the ability to transform people’s lives through living in warmer, healthier homes, as well as the added benefit of living in a home that has a lower carbon footprint and lower running costs. 

“This report comes as we mark another milestone – the fact over €1.2 billion in Government funded home energy upgrades have been delivered to Irish households since 2019. While a lot of progress has been made in the area of retrofits, we know we have to continue to build on and accelerate the level of upgrades taking place. This is a key focus for us as a new government to ensure we can meet our climate commitments and that citizens continue to reap the benefits of living in more efficient, comfortable and climate friendly homes."

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Mr William Walsh, CEO of SEAI said:

"We are pleased that 2024 saw a strong increase in home energy upgrade completions. Retrofitting homes plays a key role in helping us to achieve our climate action targets, and it's positive to see that momentum and demand from homeowners continues to build year on year.

"If we are to meet Ireland's Climate Action Plan target of 500,0000 B2 home energy upgrades, together we need to deliver on average 75,000 B2-equivalent home upgrades each year from 2026 to 2030 across the system. It's vitally important that pace and engagement continue to support the realisation of Ireland's energy transition. In 2025 we will continue to focus on educating and motivating homeowners on the benefits of home energy upgrades, such as lower energy bills, better BERs, as well as the wide range of grants and supports available for homeowners to make the switch to heat pumps. These include the low interest loans now available through numerous financial institutions."