Cribbin calls for pellet stove grants to be introduced
An Offaly Fine Gael Cllr has called for the introduction of a grant for the installation of pellet stoves as part of a suite of measures to support householders who make the move away from solid fuel to green technologies.
Cllr Noel Cribbin from Edenderry made a recent submission to the EU's €85 million 'Just Transition' Fund in which he called for 50% grants to made available to householders who make the switch from brown to green, and he is now seeking the support of Dail Deputies, Senators and Cllrs across the Midlands for his submission.
"In the last 2 years a huge change has taken place in many thousands of homes across the Midlands who burned turf as their main source of home heating, and the Court’s decision to stop Bord na Móna from producing peat and to allow contractors to cut turf has completely changed how ordinary people get turf into their homes" said Cllr Cribbin.
He pointed out that the Midlands, and Offaly in particular, was "the main producer of solid fuel" and the fact that the Court ruling has put a permanent end to peat production "the Midlands has gone from being the country’s main solid fuel supplier to now being left in a state of fuel poverty. "
"Thousands of householders who got their turf from contractors are now without fuel to heat their homes and cook with, and I find that this new problem is mainly affecting our older generation, these are the people who dragged this country from poverty in the 1950's and 1960's into being one of the best countries in the world to live in, work in and educate your family in" he said.
While the Government and the SEAI are giving out grants to upgrade homes, Cllr Cribbin pointed out that these upgrades are very costly. "The costs can be up to €7,000 or €8,000 and, while there are grants for heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation systems, solar and insulation, there is currently no grant for the installation of a pellet stove to replace a solid fuel system and pellet stoves are proving to be a very good replacement for the range or stove and installing them does not require huge upheaval to homes."
In calling for a pellet stove grant, along with a whole suite of measures to provide financial assistance to hard-pressed householders in the Midlands who are prepared to make the move from brown to green, Cllr Cribbin called on people to support his submission by sending in their own ideas to: EUJTF@decc.gov.ie
"This is a Midlands issue mainly, and it is affecting many householders across the Midlands who through no fault of their own now have to change the way they heat their homes at very substantial costs" said Cllr Cribbin "and I feel very strongly that more can be done to help those householders who are prepared to do the right thing for the environment and make that change."
The local Cllrs has called on his fellow Cllrs and members of the public to support his submission by sending in their own views to: EUJTF@decc.gov.ie