Policy director at Liquid Gas Ireland (LGI), Philip Hannon, has said that the government needs to “broaden horizons” in terms of funding for renewable energy, such as liquid gas for the benefit of rural Ireland.
The government launched its National Residential Retrofit Plan, which sets out an ambitious target to retrofit 500,000 homes to a building energy rating of B2 by 2030.
The government also aims to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing premises to replace older, less energy efficient heating systems over the same period.
Hannon described the governments approach as “one size fits all”, and said that rural housing is at a “disadvantage” for this system.
The policy director spoke to Agriland drawing on the report from LGI published today (Tuesday, January 9): ‘The role of liquid gas in providing accessible lower carbon heating for Irish homes‘.
The report analysed Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures from last year, and concluded that many homes in rural Ireland are still relying on fossil fuels.
The report showed that 39% of households nationally rely on oil, with 4% using peat and 3% using coal.
The number of households using oil increased by 28,173 from 2016 to 2022.
Heat pumps
Currently, Irish properties built and occupied before 2011, with a BER of B3 or lower before completed work,are applicable for a heat pump system through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) One Stop Shop.
Those applying for a heat pump system can receive up to €6,500 for a grant.
“Heat pumps do work and we support a mixed technology approach, but pumps are making very slow inroads to rural Ireland in particular,” Hannon said.
He said that the whole process could cost up to €60,000.
Hannon added that most rural areas are generally off the natural gas grid and that houses are older, requiring “significant retrofitting” for heat pumps to work efficiently.
The report also looks at how older homeowners represent a large cross-section of society.
The report states: “A large majority of Ireland’s lowest BER rated homes are occupied by older people, many of whom are on low incomes, rely on a single income stream and/or have limited savings.
“Furthermore, many people are put off by the intrusive and time consuming nature of a deep retrofit, with concerns that the process could prove to be very disruptive.”
It stated that this presents a “significant cost barrier” when considering decarbonising heating systems.
Hannon said that the use of liquid gas could be easier for rural homes, as it just involves the installation of a tank or boiler, making it “less expensive”.
Liquid gas
Hannon said that there is “a slow uptake” for government support for liquid gas across the EU and in the UK, but that there have been recent “indications” of this easing.
“Germany has moved away from a hard line approach. In the UK, there has also been a roll back there.
“The UK were going to introduce almost a full boiler ban from next year, but have now said that renewable gas will not only be tolerated, but supported,” Hannon said.
He said that liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and BioLPG can be blended to reduce carbon emissions.
LPG is a liquified hydrocarbon gas that is supplied in a bulk tank or cylinder, and can reach areas not connected to the national gas grid or centralised district heating systems.
LPG combustion emits 33% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal, 11% less than kerosene heating oil, and emits almost no black carbon and very low levels of air and particulate pollutant emissions, according to LGI.
BioLPG – which is exempt from carbon tax – is a chemically indistinct but renewable version of LPG made from sustainable feedstocks, such as plant and animal waste materials, vegetable oils and biogas.
Hannon said that LGI is in regular contact with government over making grants available to household owners for liquid gas.