Member's statement: Low-carbon Solutions
Member's statement by Ms Kellie Armstrong on .
- MLA
- Ms Kellie Armstrong
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 1 April 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Low-carbon Solutions
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4876531
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Climate Change Committee's recent report states that electric technologies will benefit Northern Ireland, which underscores the necessity for Northern Ireland to transition its homes to low-carbon solutions and aim for a 77% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2042. In order to replace inefficient fossil fuel systems, I call on the Executive to commit to implementing the Climate Change Committee's specific recommendations to support households in transition to low-carbon energy. Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK and Ireland because we do not have a clear approach to helping transition our homes. Achieving those goals will necessitate a collaborative approach that integrates policy reforms, financial investment and community engagement. I welcome the fact that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has committed £14 million to the energy efficiency measures and renewable technologies that will be retrofitted in over 300 homes by spring of 2025. That type of initiative will not only reduce carbon emissions but address fuel poverty by lowering household energy bills. We can catch up by taking a systematic approach to transitioning to low energy. To do that, our electric network needs to be ready to deliver the main source of energy across Northern Ireland, replacing our dependency on oil, particularly in rural areas. We need to take an area-based approach, focus the transition and ensure best value for money for the public purse in order to give the construction industry confidence that there is a work pipeline for them. That will bring many companies back to Northern Ireland and generate a growth in skills in the retrofitting and new technologies that we need. By embracing those solutions, we can transition Northern Ireland's housing sector to a sustainable, low-carbon future, ensuring environmental stewardship and economic resilience for generations to come.
296 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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