Session 1 Dr Bríd Walsh - SEAI National Energy Research & Policy Conference 2022

1. Embedding citizens and
communities at the heart of
the energy transition
DR. BRÍD WALSH
NATIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH AND POLICY
CONFERENCE
08 SEPTEMBER 2022

2. 2. Citizen empowerment and
engagement at household level
1. Community engagement in
offshore wind energy
development

3. 1. Community engagement in offshore wind energy development
•Local opposition
•Community empowerment
• Just Transition
•Procedural Justice
•Strategic level
•Project level
• Distributional Justice

4. 2. Citizen empowerment and engagement at household level
Key barriers:
• High upfront costs
• Lack of tailored supports
• Lack of trust in process of retrofitting
• Low awareness of benefits
• Low standard of rental housing
• Lack of tailored options for landlords to retrofit
• No clarity on tenant protection from “renoviction”
•Shortage of skilled labour and materials
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/blockages_to_retrofittin
g_and_heat-pump_installation_in_ireland.pdf

5. Key recommendations:
• 100% grants extended to tenants receiving HAP
• Increase social housing retrofit targets (current 36,500
or 7% of total retrofits by 2030)
• Area-based approaches to retrofitting
• Local community energy advisors across all
counties/local authorities
• Support for bottom-up local community initiatives to
offer peer support and advice re: retrofitting
• Tailored measures for private rental sector
• Guidance for retrofitting traditional buildings and older
dwellings
• New Energy Poverty Strategy
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/blockages_to_retrofittin
g_and_heat-pump_installation_in_ireland.pdf

6. Average
household energy
bills increased by
€1100 in one
year.
Rising costs of
energy
disproportionately
impact the bottom
20% of the income
distribution.
If energy prices
increase by another
25% then 43% of all
Irish households would
be in energy poverty
(ESRI).
29% of Irish households are now in energy poverty
Joint Letter on Energy Poverty: https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/joint_letter_on_energy_poverty_and_energy_pollution.pdf
5 point plan for Government to cut bills, save energy and reduce pollution:
https://www.foe.ie/assets/files/pdf/5_point_plan_to_cut_bills_save_energy_and_reduce_pollution_-_may_2022.pdf

7. 1. Energy efficiency
Prioritise worst-performing buildings and low-income/energy
poor households
Key recommendations include:
• Retrofit all social housing to B2 by 2030
• Collaborate & directly consult with anti-poverty NGOs for
delivering retrofits to people who need them most
• Increase individual energy grants from 80-100% for those at
risk or suffering from fuel poverty
• Grants and low-cost loans for deep retrofits based on income
assessment
• Set up dedicated retrofitting programme for households solely
relying on solid fuels
Called on the Government to
put forward measures to
tackle:
1. Energy efficiency
2. Cost of living
3. Energy bills and energy
poverty response