Independent TD for Tipperary, Mattie McGrath, has criticised the Minister for Housing for what he calls a “breath-taking lack of common sense” in relation to regulations around chimneys on new houses.

He has criticised the department’s refusal to review building regulations that effectively prohibit the installation of chimneys and solid fuel stoves in new-build homes.

Deputy McGrath had submitted a Parliamentary Question (PQ) asking the housing minister to urgently review policies and allow for chimneys and solid fuel stoves in all new homes, particularly to ensure households have a reliable alternative heating source during electricity outages.

However, he said that the department responded by reaffirming its commitment to current regulations under the Climate Action Plan and the EU Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards.

Deputy McGrath said: “The response I received proves just how divorced this government has become from the lived realities of rural Ireland.

"We saw the damage done during Storm Éowyn where households were left without power for up to two weeks. Many of these new builds had no capacity to heat their homes without access to solid fuel.”

Deputy McGrath warned that the insistence on eliminating chimneys from new homes is part of a wider pattern of policy-making that disregards both rural resilience and basic common sense.

“I’m not against energy efficiency or renewables — far from it. But let’s get real; electricity can fail. Solid fuel stoves and chimneys have always been a dependable fall-back. Removing them as an option is not only short-sighted, it’s dangerous.”

McGrath said he would continue to advocate for a balanced and pragmatic approach to building regulations that prioritises not only carbon targets but also energy security and public safety.

“We need policies that reflect the real-world not just theoretical models and EU checklists. Chimneys are not the enemy of progress,  but blind ideology might be.”