S.I. No. 36/2026 - European Union (Renewable Energy) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 13th February, 2026.

I, DARRAGH O’BRIEN, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) and for the purpose of giving effect to Articles 23 and 24 of Directive 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 as amended by Articles 1(13) and 1(14) of Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 , hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the European Union (Renewable Energy) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

2. In these Regulations -

“Principal Regulations” means the European Union (Renewable Energy) Regulations (2) 2022 ( S.I. No. 350 of 2022 ).

3. The Principal Regulations are amended by the insertion of the following Regulation after Regulation 33 -

“33A (1) (a.) The average annual increase in the share of renewable energy utilised in the heating and cooling sector in the State shall be of at least 0.8 percentage points for the period 2021 to 2025, and shall be of at least 1.1 percentage points for the period 2026 to 2030, when compared to the share of renewable energy in the heating and cooling sector in 2020, expressed in terms of gross final consumption of energy and calculated in accordance with Schedule 1.

(b.) In addition to the mandatory average annual increase in renewable energy, the State shall, as far as practicable, increase the share of renewable energy in the heating and cooling sector further, by the additional increase set out in Schedule 4.

33A (2) SEAI shall carry out the assessment required under Article 23(1b) of the Directive.

33A (3) Where the measures adopted for the purposes of deploying energy from renewable sources in the heating and cooling sector would result in a lower average annual increase than that referred to in paragraph 33A(1), this shall be included in the integrated national energy and climate progress reports pursuant to Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.

33A (4) SEAI shall provide information, through accessible and transparent advisory tools, to the managers, owners or tenants, or their respective authorised representatives of buildings and SMEs on cost-effective measures and financial instruments to improve the use of renewable energy in the heating and cooling systems.”.

4. Regulation 33 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the substitution of the following text for paragraph (1) -

“33 (1) (a.) Suppliers shall provide information on the energy performance and the share of renewable energy in district heating and cooling systems to final consumers in an easily accessible manner, such as on the suppliers’ websites, on annual bills, upon request, or in such other manner as the Commission may determine. Suppliers shall register with the Commission in a manner and form specified by the Commission for the purpose of ensuring that this obligation is carried out.

(b.) The information referred to in sub-paragraph (a) on the share of renewable energy shall be expressed at least as a percentage of gross final consumption of energy in heating and cooling assigned to the customers of a given district heating and cooling system, including information on how much energy was used to deliver one unit of heating to the customer or end-user.”

5. Regulation 33(6) of the Principal Regulations is amended by the replacement of the word “Regulator” with “Commission”.

6. The Principal Regulations is amended by the insertion of the following after Schedule 3:

“Schedule 4

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

29 January, 2026.

DARRAGH O’BRIEN,

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The purpose of the European Union (Renewable Energy) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. No. 36 of 2026) is to give further effect to Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, as amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2413. The amending Directive introduces updated targets and reporting requirements in relation to renewable energy in the heating and cooling sector.

These Regulations amend the European Union (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2022 ( S.I. No. 350 of 2022 ) (“the Principal Regulations”) in order to transpose the amendments set out in Directive (EU) 2023/2413. Directive 2018/2001/EU (as amended) sets binding EU-wide targets for the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption and introduces sector-specific measures to promote the deployment of renewable energy technologies. Directive (EU) 2023/2413 amends the original Directive by strengthening obligations on Member States to increase the share of renewable energy in heating and cooling and to enhance transparency in district heating and cooling systems.

These Regulations come into operation on the date of signature.