Changes to grant could leave elderly in the cold

A Cork county councillor has called for a review of changes made to a heating scheme that she fears could leave elderly people living in freezing conditions.

Cllr Deirdre O'Brien, Fianna Fáil, brought a motion before Cork County Council on Monday calling on the Government to review recent changes to the Housing Aid for Older People Grant which have blocked the purchase of new fossil fuel boilers through the scheme.

The Housing Aid for Older People Grant is designed to help cover essential repairs to improve the condition of an older person's home so they can continue to live there. It is aimed at people aged 66 and older, who are living in poor housing conditions.

As of 1 January, applicants cannot use the grant to buy a new fossil fuel boiler, such as an oil or gas boiler, which had previously been permitted.

Cllr O’Brien said she fears this change may result in elderly people not going ahead with upgrades due to cost.

She said: “Older generations who live in houses with fossil fuel heating, the cost to upgrade to modern heat pumps would be totally beyond their means and be ineffective to those who don’t have fully sealed walls, floors, and roofs.

“I’d be concerned that they would not go ahead with these upgrades and would end up in freezing conditions,” added Cllr O’Brien.

Air-to-water heat pump systems are designed to be an energy-efficient way of heating one’s home while also reducing a household’s carbon emissions. However, in order for the system to work correctly, the home must first be made sufficiently airtight, which can be a costly process.

Cllr O’Brien continued: “We advise that in order to get the best performance from the heat pumps, it’s recommended that your house is well insulated and relatively airtight. For that reason, insulation is often done in combination with fabric retrofit to improve the building’s energy performance.

“It’s not as simple as that, as we know. The delay in rolling out the retrofit is way off where it should be,” she added.

Cllr O’Brien asked that Cork County Council write to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien asking that he reconsider the recent changes to the Housing Aid for Older People Grant.

Although it doesn’t cover a new fossil fuel boiler, the grant does still allow for the repair of an existing oil or gas boiler, as well as replacing or repairing of other parts of a fossil fuel heating system, such as new radiators, oil tanks, or pipework. It also covers the installation of a second-hand fossil fuel boiler.

Supporting the call to Government, Cllr Sheila O'Callaghan, Fianna Fáil, said that in an ideal world, we would all love very efficient homes, but something is needed in the interim.

“I live in a house that’s over 120 years old, no foundations, single glazed windows, and all of that,” explained Cllr O’Callaghan.

“To be able to put in a burner is so important in houses of that era because air-to-water heat pumps just really can’t work in an environment where there’s a half an inch gap under most doors,” she added.

Cork County Council will now write to Minister O’Brien asking him to review the changes to the grant.