A Leitrim councillor is warning that any changes to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland grant scheme will leave lower-income households out in the cold.
Homeowners could be facing costs of up to €4,000 insulation costs upfront rather than having their builder claim back grant for those looking to avail of the scheme.
It was reported over the weekend that the criteria for the insulation scheme will change and that people will have to pay the entire bill and wait for money to be repaid.
The average household could have to pay up to 4,000 euro for works, and then stand by for as long as six months to be reimbursed.
The number of households opting for one-off retrofitting measures has increased by 300 per cent this year because the government has doubled the value of attic insulation grants to €1,500, and cavity wall grants to €1,700.
Manorhamilton Municipal District Councillor Padraig Fallon says if media reports into the changes are correct then there will be many that the scheme most will be excluded due to the costs associated with such projects.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has rejected suggestions that householders will have to pay for retro-fit programmes in full.
The Minister says changes are taking place but only to deal with large-scale expensive deep retro-fits.
He said the 80 per cent grant will remain in place and that talks are planned with the SEAI next week to ensure that households won’t have to pay all basic insulation costs up front.
