New data has revealed that 50 heat pumps were installed in Donegal homes in January with grant support – the second highest number in the country after Cork.
January saw 127 Donegal properties receive energy upgrades through SEAI grants, with 310 measures installed altogether, excluding BER assessments.
This is because many homes received more than one energy upgrade under the main retrofit schemes for heat pumps, windows, doors and insulation.
Thirty of the 50 heat pump and window upgrades in Donegal in January were under the Community Grants Scheme, while 20 were through the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme.
The new SEAI figures also show that 63 new solar panel installations were carried out in Donegal in January, with 46 of these receiving grants through the Solar PV Scheme.
By comparison, in the first three months of 2024, 128 solar installations were fitted in the county with grant support.
Nationally, 292 grants were awarded for heat pumps last month, and there were 2,324 new solar installations, with the highest number recorded in Dublin (433), followed by Cork (264) and Limerick (159).
After the home solar grant was reduced by €300 at the beginning of the year, solar energy expert Briain Kelly of EnergyEfficiency.ie warned of the potential negative impact these reductions could have on the adoption of renewables.
“There are different grants available for solar, but the most well-known is the Solar PV Scheme which currently offers homeowners up to €1,800 for rooftop panels,” he said.
“Just two years ago, this grant scheme awarded a maximum of €2,400 – and it is currently the only programme under threat as it continues to be reduced by €300 each year.”
“The reason the government has given for this is the declining cost of solar PV installations – a trend which they evidently expect to continue.”
“However, this goes against common sense given Ireland’s target of generating 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030 – and it also ignores the potentially significant psychological benefits of grants on solar adoption numbers.”
