'Shockingly slow' pace of retrofitting homes in Cork city slammed by election candidate

Cork City Council retrofitted just 0.5% of its housing units in 2023, with a Social Democrats general election candidate saying that it will take 200 years for them to retrofit the remainder at that rate.

The National Oversight and Audit Committee’s (NOAC) Key Performance Indicator Report for 2023 shows that at year end, Cork City Council owned 10,598 homes.

Social Democrats councillor and general election candidate Pádraig Rice told The Echo: “Last year, Cork City Council retrofitted just 53 out of its 10,598 homes.

“At this rate, it will take a staggering 200 years to retrofit all the council houses in Cork city. This is shockingly slow.”

The report from NOAC shows that “other local authorities are doing much better than Cork City Council,” he said, highlighting that Louth retrofitted 205 homes representing 4.9% of their total stock, and Donegal retrofitted 222 or 4.3%.

Mr Rice said that he hears from a lot of people in Cork South Central “who fear the winter because of the cost of their energy bills,” adding, “People are living in houses with old boilers that are very expensive to run and use a lot of gas.” Retrofitting involves installing insulation, replacing windows and doors when needed and fitting air-to-water heat pumps, he explained, saying, “Retrofitting provides people with warmer homes and lower bills. It also reduces carbon emissions. It’s a win-win.”

Mr Rice said that if elected to the Dáil, he plans to campaign for more funding from central government to improve housing in Cork.

Cork City Council told The Echo that at the commencement of the Department of Housing’s energy efficiency retrofit program for social housing phase two in 2021, Cork City Council has already had 875 properties that had achieved the required energy rating.

“In 2024 Cork City Council will deliver energy efficiency retrofits in excess of 120 units which exceeds this year’s nationally set target and is in line with approved funding,” they said, adding that they expect to retrofit more than 250 properties next year.