Climate rules ending boiler replacement grants in ROI from January 1st 2025 leave vulnerable homeowners facing high costs and winter hardships in poorly insulated homes.
In this article, we cover:
- The impact of the new EU rules on homeowners facing higher heating costs
- Why grants for replacing old boilers are being cut and what it means for vulnerable groups
- How Ireland’s ageing housing stock makes these changes even harder for older people
- Real stories from communities already affected by the policy
- What renewable heating options are available and the challenges they present for older homes
Elderly and disabled homeowners in ROI are bracing for a challenging winter as an EU directive ends grants for replacing broken fossil fuel boilers, prompting concerns that vulnerable people could be left in cold homes.
While the policy aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging renewable heating systems, advocacy groups warn that it fails to account for the realities of ageing housing stock and the immediate needs of older people.
The change is driven by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), adopted in May 2024, which prohibits public funding for new fossil fuel boilers from January 1, 2025.
However, grants for repairing existing fossil fuel boilers remain unaffected. The directive is part of the EU’s efforts to improve energy performance and reduce emissions, but its rigid application has drawn criticism for disproportionately impacting Ireland’s elderly population.
Climate policies
The EU directive prohibits local authorities from offering grants to replace fossil fuel boilers under the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme, which has been a lifeline for older and disabled people since 2007. The Department of Housing confirmed, “From January 1, 2025, local authorities will no longer be able to provide grant funding for a replacement fossil fuel boiler.”
The ban applies even in emergencies, leaving older people reliant on costly repairs or renewable systems that may not suit their homes. Advocacy groups like Age Action Ireland have called for an “energy guarantee” — a lifetime financial support scheme to help older people cover heating costs while transitioning to sustainable systems.
Age Action described the rule change as “too rigid,” highlighting how it overlooks the unique challenges posed by Ireland’s housing stock, according to a report by TheJournal.ie.
Many older homeowners live in poorly insulated, one-off houses that are difficult to heat and expensive to retrofit.
“This is a process that will take 20-25 years to transform the housing stock and various cohorts of older people are at risk of being left out,” said Nat O’Connor, Senior Policy Specialist at Age Action.
O’Connor said the rule change is a particular issue for Ireland, with the country “riddled with atypical housing”. He noted that contemporary reports from the past 20 years showed that one-third of housing was unattached and one-off stock.
Older people want to adapt to climate change, but this policy risks leaving them behind, he warned.
“With older people, they may not want their house turned upside down due to illness, and they may also not have the money to pay for a new system.”
O’Connor said the rule change poses a serious risk to older people here, pointing to Ireland having among the highest rate of excess winter mortality in Europe.
He pointed to Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures and Age Action research to demonstrate the precariousness facing a portion of the population.
An estimated 300,000 homes with poorer building energy ratings – E, F or G – are occupied by older people.
CSO data reveals that nearly 7,000 homes occupied by older people lack central heating, with over half involving people living alone.
Impact on homeowners
The impact of the policy is already being felt in communities like Waterford, where local councillor Donal Barry told The Journal that he saw it as an “irrational decision to penalise older people for a minimal amount of carbon savings”, with the result being “unnecessary hardship and distress” to older people.
He described a recent case where an elderly man’s application for a boiler replacement was rejected, leaving him without a clear solution. “The Government and the ministers responsible for older people and housing need to urgently address this issue and not cause undue hardship and suffering to our elderly,” he said.
For those living in older or rural properties, retrofitting homes with modern heat pump systems — a key alternative promoted by the government — is often prohibitively expensive or technically unfeasible.
The Department of Housing defends the measure, stating that the EU directive aims to prevent vulnerable households from being “locked into” fossil fuel systems. However, critics argue that the policy undermines the principle of a “just transition”, placing the burden of climate action on those least equipped to shoulder it.
The directive does not prohibit grant funding for renewable heating systems. Homeowners are being encouraged to explore options such as heat pumps, solar energy and hybrid systems. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offers grants for these systems, alongside insulation upgrades aimed at improving energy efficiency. However, questions remain about the accessibility of these schemes for older people, especially those in rural or hard-to-retrofit homes.
For now, homeowners relying on the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme will still be eligible for boiler repairs but will need to seek alternative solutions for replacements.
