Energy Action also welcomed the Government’s Green Paper on Energy Policy as well as the forthcoming review of the Affordable Energy Strategy that was discussed at the Conference.

Commenting at the photocall Minister White said: “Energy is not a luxury, it is a fundamental requirement of modern life and we have a shared responsibility as a society to ensure that everyone can afford to heat and power their homes. The evidence is clear that enabling people to live in homes that are comfortable and warm has an enormous impact upon the quality of their lives, which is reflected in lower costs for our health system. To achieve this industry, Government and consumer groups all need to work together to develop the type of solutions that can make a real difference for those in energy poverty and the Energy Action conference is a tangible example of the kind of collaborative approach we want to see.”

In addition, Alan Kelly TD, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, recently announced that he is allocating a further €15 million to be invested in upgrading the energy efficiency of local authority homes this year, bringing the total allocation in 2014 to €30 million. This is part of a three year jobs stimulus programme that will see the energy efficiency of 25,000 of the poorest insulated local authority homes improved. This Energy Efficiency Insulation/Retrofitting Programme will receive funding of €50 million over the period 2013-15. This provision will ensure that the entire social housing stock will have, at minimum, cavity wall insulation, roof insulation and draught proofing. This will result in warmer homes and lower energy bills for thousands of families and will create around 1,000 jobs in the construction sector.