The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) responds to the publication of a new ESRI report today examining progress on residential heat decarbonisation in Ireland.
The report highlights that Ireland is currently significantly off track in achieving its residential heating targets, with deep retrofits reaching just 11.5% of the 2030 target and heat pump installations only 3.5% of the target by the end of 2024.
Responding to the ESRI findings, IrBEA CEO Seán Finan said: “The ESRI work underlines the need for a broader range of renewable heating technology solutions to be supported by Government policy.
Finan continued “Decarbonising home heating is one of the biggest challenges in Ireland’s climate transition. While electrification will play an important role, the ESRI report clearly demonstrates that current delivery rates are far below what is required. Ireland needs a wider mix of renewable heating technologies if we are to meet our climate targets.”
IrBEA is calling on Government to introduce several targeted measures to ensure renewable biomass heating is supported alongside other renewable technologies at a domestic level. These measures include:
- VAT alignment for renewable heating appliances. IrBEA calls on the Government to matching the VAT rate for biomass boilers and stoves with the 0% VAT rate currently applied to solar technologies, ensuring homeowners have fair access to all renewable heating options.
- Inclusion of biomass heating in grant programmes. IrBEA calls on the Government to extend existing residential grant schemes to include modern high-efficiency biomass boilers and stoves, providing homeowners with an additional pathway to replace fossil fuel heating.
- Fair treatment for biomass and bioenergy fuelled appliances within energy assessment software. IrBEA calls on SEAI to ensure that the DEAP and NEAP energy assessment tools used by energy assessors properly recognise the carbon reduction benefits of renewable biomass heating systems, thus allowing architects and engineers to specify wood fuelled appliances in modern Irish homes.
IrBEA Technical Executive Noel Gavigan said: “Renewable wood fuels already provide a practical and proven heating solution for many homes across Ireland. When used in modern high-efficiency appliances with certified fuels, biomass can deliver significant carbon reductions while supporting Ireland’s forestry sector and rural economy.”
Given the current global environment, we should also consider the significant energy security benefit on relying on our own homegrown renewable biomass fuels to replace imported fossil fuels.
Gavigan continued “The Government should ensure that energy policy, taxation and assessment tools treat renewable biomass fairly alongside other renewable technologies. A balanced policy approach will allow homeowners to choose the most appropriate renewable heating option for their circumstances.”
Finan concluded “IrBEA members emphasis that renewable wood fuels represent an indigenous and sustainable energy source, supporting Ireland’s forestry sector, rural employment and energy security while helping reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. We call on Government to ensure that renewable biomass heating forms part of a technology-neutral approach to decarbonising residential heat, alongside electrification and other renewable solutions.”