Green TD Steven Matthews has welcomed the announcement that record numbers of Wicklow houses were retrofitted in 2024. According to the SEAI, energy efficiency upgrades were carried out on 948 properties in Wicklow this year, the highest number ever recorded. Discussing the Green Party’s role in delivering these upgrades, Deputy Matthews said:
“More Wicklow residents than ever before are benefiting from warmer and healthier homes under the national retrofit programme. These home energy upgrades are crucial to lowering energy costs, reducing emissions, and improving health outcomes. We are making significant progress towards our ambitious targets to retrofit thousands of homes each year. It is fantastic to see this strong level of demand for the SEAI’s home energy upgrades in Wicklow.
“The Green Party is working to make retrofitting as accessible as possible to households across Ireland. I am particularly delighted that the number of fully subsidised retrofits as part of the SEAI Warmer Homes Scheme delivered in Wicklow has more than doubled compared to the same period in 2023. This will support 184 lower-income households in Wicklow that are at increased risk of energy poverty to stay warm this winter.
“There has also been significant progress in the roll-out of solar energy, with solar PV installed in 534 properties across Wicklow since the start of the year.
“The Green Party has delivered one of Europe’s most ambitious national retrofit programmes. Thousands of homes have been retrofitted since the launch of the One Stop Shop in 2022. No other political party in Ireland has this level of commitment to climate action. Now is the time to keep up the momentum and continue this progress through to 2025 and beyond”, concluded Deputy Steven Matthews.
Comments