Irish Energy Minister Eamon Ryan has announced the Greener Homes Scheme is to move immediately to Phase III, having already made over 22,000 grant commitments.

The grants are aimed at helping householders install new renewable energy heating systems.

The Phase III announcement comes amid the revised Building regulations 2008, which outlined a requirement for some component of renewable energy in all new homes.

The main changes under Phase III is that only homes built more than one year ago will be eligible for support, and there will be a small reduction in the levels of support for the existing biomass technologies.

In addition a new biomass technology, gasification boilers, is being added to the scheme and becomes eligible for support.

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Minister Ryan said: "The Building Regulations 2008, which my colleague Minister Gormley brought into force on July 1st, make the inclusion of renewable energy in new homes compulsory.

"The existence of this legislation means that it would no longer be appropriate to grant aid their installation in new homes."

"On the other hand the installation of renewable heating systems in existing homes is typically more complex and therefore more expensive and so I believe merits continued support in the short term at least while the market reaches ultimate maturity," he added.

Of the 22,000 grant offers in place, already 13,000 of them have been paid following the successful installation of the systems.

This has resulted in annual reduction of 33,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The applications are split across the three technologies: Biomass (26%), Heatpump (26%), Solar Thermal (48%).

Minister Ryan said: "I see the continued availability of grants for these technologies as an important way of solidifying the establishment of a quality driven industry, that can underpin longer term renewable energy goals as Ireland strives to meet its national and international climate change obligations."

(PR/JM)