Some 250,000 homes in Ireland have been upgraded to date as part of the Better Energy schemes.

100,000 homes received free home energy upgrades through the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme and a further 150,000 homes received grants for insulation and heating upgrades as part of the Better Energy Homes initiative.

Commenting on the success of the schemes, Minister for Communications Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, said: "The scale of this achievement is immense, amounting to €600m investment in the small buildings sector and an average of 3,800 full time jobs over the last five years.

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"I am particularly pleased with the inroads our current programmes are making in respect of energy poverty, with more than one quarter of eligible homes addressed to date.

"This Government has a strong commitment to energy efficiency. We will continue to provide funds for the Better Energy Schemes next year. We recently commenced a separate programme of retrofit investment in the Local Authority housing stock. We have also created a new fund this year to boost activity in terms of public and commercial building energy efficiency initiatives."

The Minister marked the milestone at the launch of a community energy project at Ballyfermot, Dublin where 77 homes, supported by NABCO, the co-operative housing provider, will receive wall and roof insulation, replacement windows and high efficiency heating systems and controls.

(MH/JP)