State’s retrofitting programme output fell by 31% last year

Fewer people sought to use clean energy grants during pandemic

In 2019, the number of home energy upgrades or retrofits completed was 24,700, while in 2020 there were just 16,955 homes completed. Picture: Getty

The state’s retrofitting programme output fell by 31 per cent last year due to Covid-19, according to new stats from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The new figures are to be published this week and detail a broadly disappointing year for sustainable energy initiatives, with total capital supports from the SEAI down by €30 million in 2020 as fewer people sought to use clean energy grants during the pandemic.

The one exception was ...