The Climate Change Advisory Council has recommended that the Government improve grant supports for retrofitting, heat pumps and solar installation.
An annual Review for 2025 on the Built Environment, Industry, and Waste sectors has highlighted the ”urgent need” for emissions reductions and sustainable practices across these areas.
“The Built Environment is the only sector that saw emissions increase in 2024,” said Marie Donnelly, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council.
The Built Environment includes residential, commercial and public buildings. Emissions in residential buildings, along with commercial and public buildings, increased by 4.9% and 7.9% respectively.
”Government must urgently take action to increase the availability of grants for households focused on the uptake of heat pumps and maintain the level of grants for the installation of solar PV.
“The rollout of smart meters must be better utilised to help customers to save money, change consumption patterns and reduce emissions,” Ms Donnelly said.
The body said the extra funding will help Ireland meet its climate targets, reduce energy costs for consumers, increase energy efficiency, lower emissions and support resilience in households.
It has also recommended funding to increase delivery of retrofitting and solar PV for local authority housing.
The colder weather at the start of the year increased heating demand in households.
The Government has been urged to finalise the Heat Bill by the end of the year and develop enhanced supports to promote the uptake of heat pumps and roll out district heating.
A clear plan to phase out fossil fuel boilers should also be included within the National Building Renovation Plan, due to be published this year.
“The Council welcomes the recent allocation of funds to support development costs of district heating projects and looks forward to the roll out of district heating networks in Ireland. This can stabilise costs for consumers and help protect Ireland against the volatility of fossil fuel prices,” Marie Donnelly said.
The Climate Change Advisory Council also said a network of independent energy renovation advisors should be established to support households and communities with the transition, particularly those in
energy poverty.
While the Deposit Return Scheme has seen an uptake in recycling, the council has said the volume of waste generated remains too high and household recycling rates are not improving.
Ireland’s circularity rate of 2.3% is well below the EU average of 11.8%. Concerted action in this area will bring ”economic and environmental benefits,” the council said.
Industrial emissions reduced by 4.6% in 2024, mainly due to a decline in cement volumes.
The body said Ireland has not yet broken the link between production levels and emissions in the industrial sector, underscoring the need for a more efficient approval process for low-carbon cement technologies.
It said there was also a requirement for all new buildings to have resource and waste management plans to minimise the consumption of materials and reduce waste in construction.
