Dublin City Councillors Back Warm Homes for All, Budget 2026 Must Now Deliver

DCC motions call for social housing tenants in worst-performing homes to be prioritised for retrofit programme

Friends of the Earth welcomes the unanimous passing of two motions[1] by the Dublin North West and Dublin South Central Area Committees of Dublin City Council calling for increased investment in retrofitting of social housing. 

Tabled by Councillors Conor Reddy and Ray Cunningham, the motions call on Dublin City Council and the Department of Housing to:

• Increase and commit multi-annual funding to the Local Authority Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme

• Prioritise upgrades to the poorest-performing social housing stock

• Accelerate retrofitting to meet climate targets and deliver community regeneration.

Aaron Downey, Campaign Lead at Friends of the Earth said:

“For too long, social housing tenants in the worst-performing homes have been left behind when it comes to  retrofitting schemes - yet they are the ones who need them most. These motions show that local representatives understand the urgency of tackling both the climate crisis and the housing crisis at the same time. Budget 2026 must now deliver."

With the most recent CRU figures showing one quarter of all domestic gas consumers and 13% of electricity consumers in arrears [2], Friends of the Earth is calling for long-term solutions that tackle energy poverty, poor quality housing, and fossil fuel reliance in tandem. Through their Warm Homes for All campaign[3], Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to:

1. Scale up public funding to retrofit all social housing , starting with the poorest quality homes with the lowest BERs.

2. Commit to multi-annual allocations in both Budget 2026 and the National Development Plan to ensure local authorities can plan and deliver deep energy upgrades that reduce fossil fuel dependence.

Friends of the Earth is also deeply concerned at the lack of a dedicated capital investment plan for social housing retrofitting in the 2025 NDP Review - a glaring gap that leaves social housing tenants behind in the energy transition and undermines Ireland's national and EU climate obligations. 

Clare O’Connor, Programme Coordinator at Friends of the Earth, said:

“Investing in social housing retrofitting and decarbonisation now will pay dividends in reduced emissions and lower energy bills for those most in need, and will breathe new life into our communities. What’s needed now is a clear, multi-annual funding plan for social housing retrofitting in Budget 2026.

If this government fails to ramp up climate and energy investment now, the cost of missing our 2030 targets will be colossal, with a future bill facing the state of between €8 and €26 billion[4].”

Notes:

1. Motions from (i) Dublin North West Area Committee https://dublin.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g5552/Public%20reports%20pack%2015th-Jul-2025%2014.30%20North%20West%20Area%20Committee.pdf?T=10 and (ii) Dublin South Central Area Committee https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/documents/g5536/Agenda%20frontsheet%2016th-Jul-2025%2015.00%20South%20Central%20Area%20Committee.pdf?T=0

2. Commission for Regulation of Utilities (2025) https://cruie-live-96ca64acab2247eca8a850a7e54b-5b34f62.divio-media.com/documents/Arrears_and_NPA_disconnection_update_April_2025.pdf

3. Friends of the Earth’s Warm Homes for All: Tenants for Climate Justice campaign information here: https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/warm-homes-for-all/tenantsforclimatejustice

4. Fiscal Advisory Council (2025) https://www.fiscalcouncil.ie/a-colossal-missed-opportunity/