Government details 2026 residential retrofit plan and flood resilience preparations in Dáil update

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has updated Dáil Éireann on residential energy upgrade schemes and national severe weather preparations overseen by the Cabinet committee on climate action, the environment and energy.

Responding to parliamentary questions, the Taoiseach confirmed that an updated Climate Action Plan will be published in the coming weeks, setting out revised sectoral targets and policies.

Residential retrofit supports

The Taoiseach outlined measures included in the national residential retrofit plan for 2026 launched by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien. The plan introduces new and enhanced individual upgrade options, including:

• New grant support for windows and doors;
• Increased grant levels and wider eligibility to facilitate phased deep retrofits;
• Increased grants for homeowners receiving qualifying welfare payments;
• Specific supports for first-time buyers purchasing existing homes; and
• Higher grant allocations for approved housing bodies and local authorities.

Official figures cited by the Taoiseach show that over 58,000 homeowners completed energy upgrades under Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) schemes last year. Between January and the end of July 2026, the SEAI processed more than 78,000 applications, marking an increase of almost 120% compared to the same period in the previous year.

Flood readiness and utility infrastructure

The Dáil was also briefed on cross-agency preparations for winter storms and flooding, involving local authorities, the Office of Public Works (OPW), and national utility providers. Key operational actions reported include:

• **Drainage maintenance:** Ongoing preventative clearing of gullies, drains, and culverts by city and county councils;
• **Flood barrier deployment:** Joint OPW and council arrangements to purchase, deploy, and store temporary flood barriers and mobile pumps across five regional hubs;
• **Water services resilience:** Uisce Éireann has deployed 30 large generators at key facilities, added 70 mobile units to an existing fleet of 150 generators, and plans to acquire 80 more, alongside 20 dedicated wastewater pumps for flood response; and
• **Emergency community hubs:** Councils have designated 572 community support centre locations, with more than 100 fitted with generator changeover switches and approximately 200 expected to be ready by year end.

Separately during the debate, Deputy Barry Heneghan noted that his private wires Bill, aimed at streamlining developer electricity connections to the national grid, has been scheduled for debate on 17 December.