The Irish Green Building Council is holding a series of Focus Group meetings in relation to our ongoing project on how to better address fuel poverty through energy renovation*.
We are excited to extend an invitation to you to participate in one of our focus group meetings outlined below. Your valuable insights and participation are crucial as we begin to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to address fuel poverty through energy renovation in Ireland. The final set of recommendations will be released in February 2024.
We would be delighted if you could join us and help address fuel poverty in Ireland. If you would like to participate, please email [email protected] with the meeting(s) you wish to register for. More information about the meetings ca be found below.
*About the Project
In recent years, the Irish Government has introduced ambitious targets and measures to upgrade the levels of energy efficiency in the building stock. However, almost a quarter of the population remains at risk of fuel poverty, and the depth and rate of energy renovation remain low. Papers have highlighted that while the existing supports for people living in fuel poverty in Ireland mainly seek to target households living in relative income poverty, this assistance does not necessarily reach all households who experience energy poverty. One additional challenge is that the onus currently rests on individual homeowners to apply to these schemes, assuming that all households have the resources to do so.
An evaluation of the national retrofit programmes targeting households at risk of fuel poverty needs to happen in real time to allow rapid adjustments and support more effective scale-up of energy efficiency upgrades in Ireland. This review is also needed to ensure Ireland’s National Retrofit programme supports a just transition while delivering real carbon savings.
The objective of the project is to gain a better understanding of the current challenges and international best practices, prior to testing a few ideas and developing a comprehensive set of recommendations to address fuel poverty through energy renovation in Ireland.
Focus Group Meeting 1: ‘Making local authorities’ energy renovation programme work for fuel-poor households’.
Date: Wednesday, 22nd November 23
Time: 9:30-11:30
Location: Online – Link to be circulated upon registration.
See how the local authorities’ energy renovation programme could be improved to better support those most at risk of fuel poverty.
Focus Group Meeting 2: ‘Making Approved Housing Bodies’ (AHBs) energy renovation programme work for fuel-poor households
Date: Friday, 24th November, 23
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Online – Link to be circulated upon registration.
See how the AHBs’ energy renovation programme could be improved to better support those most at risk of fuel poverty.
Focus group Meeting 3: ‘Making energy renovation more accessible to groups most at risk of fuel poverty’.
Date: Thursday, 30th November, 23
Time: 09:30-13:00
Location: IGBC offices, 19 Mountjoy Square East, Dublin 1
In Ireland, research has identified rural households, people in the private rental market, persons with disabilities and older persons, as well as single parents as more susceptible to energy poverty and to its effects. The objective of this focus group meeting is to test ideas to better target those most at risk of fuel poverty and to support them on their journey.
Focus Group Meeting 4: ‘Focusing on area-based energy renovation to better address fuel poverty’
Date: Friday, 8th December, 23
Time: 09:30-13:00
Location: IGBC offices, 19 Mountjoy Square East
Discuss actions required to transition to a more area-based type of approach to energy renovation to better address fuel poverty. More specifically, actions to prioritise areas most at risk of fuel poverty, and to aggregate energy renovation projects will be tested on the day.
Focus Group Meeting 5: ‘Making energy renovation more affordable for households most at risk of fuel poverty’.
Date: Monday, 11th December 23
Time: 10:00-13:00
Location: IGBC offices, 19 Mountjoy Square East, Dublin 1
Test ideas to make energy renovation more affordable for households at risk of fuel poverty. Ideas to be tested include introducing means-testing programmes with various levels of support, as well as the role of Building Renovation Passports in better supporting phased renovation.
Focus Group Meeting 6: ‘Addressing fuel poverty in the rental sector’.
Date: Wednesday, 13th December, 23
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Online – Link to be circulated upon registration
The objective of this focus group meeting will be to test ideas to increase the rate of energy renovation in the private rental market.
