The government is being urged to increase grants for house retrofits, given the sharp increase in the cost of raw materials in recent months.

Independent TD Seán Canney has made the call to increase the assistance to homeowners for works on existing houses, many of which are located in rural areas.

He said: “The cost of materials such as insulation and timber has skyrocketed in price over the last year.

“I want the government to take on board these extraordinary increases in the cost of retrofitting houses," the deputy added.

The Galway East TD said that grants available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) are no longer sufficient or attractive to homeowners for house retrofits.

“In light of the increase in material costs, government needs to review the incentives available for homeowners to ensure that the retrofit schemes encourage sufficient uptake and achieve the highest reduction of emissions."

This National Home Retrofit Scheme from the SEAI is designed to encourage the development of 'one-stop-shops' and engage groups of private households, registered housing associations and local authorities who wish to participate in delivering energy efficiency upgrades, specifically in domestic buildings.

One of the aims is to upgrade homes towards achieving the Climate Action Plan home-energy retrofit targets.

Another aim is to facilitate high standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, thereby reducing fossil fuel usage, energy costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.