THE government's national insulation plan has received a massive public response, with Sustainable Energy
Ireland (SEI) confirming it has received more than 75,000 expressions of interest from homeowners.

The €100m 'national insulation programme for economic recovery' was only launched last month, but already 1,000 contractors have registered with SEI as installing agents and there have been 26,000 telephone queries and 50,000 expressions of interest, via the website, from the public.

Applications for the scheme will be formally taken – either online or by phone – from Monday, 23 March.

The government expects 4,000 jobs will be created, both directly and indirectly, through the scheme which is initially expected to benefit 50,000 homes.

Energy minister Eamon Ryan this weekend said he was "very pleased by the level of interest in the scheme" and that his department would be "working closely with SEI to ensure that it is delivered properly and well". He said the scheme required more contractors to register.

The programme is divided into the 'home energy savings scheme' – which targets private middle-income homes and offers grant aid of between €500 and around €5,000 for improvements carried out on housing insulation – and two separate schemes targeting those on lower incomes and in social housing.

This includes a 'warmer homes scheme' for low income private housing, where all costs will be covered aside from a nominal fee to a maximum of €100.

Estimates provided by the Department of Energy say that the work done by householders can pay for itself, depending on the work done, in four to 10 years through lower heating and electricity bills.

"We need to redirect our public expenditure onto a sustainable path. This is the right type of long-term spending and lending that government should encourage," Ryan said.