In a recent article from George Lee in RTE, experts including Firebird say a biofuel policy needs to be included in the 2024 Budget. From Firebird’s perspective, we see a remarkable opportunity in the use of biofuels, particularly Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), for decarbonizing home heating in rural Ireland. Many homeowners in rural areas are currently left with few viable options for transitioning to cleaner heating solutions due to the significant retrofit costs and limited financial resources. We firmly believe that HVO can serve as a practical and cost-effective alternative, offering an impressive 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fuels, all with minimal adjustments required to existing heating systems.
Moreover, we call upon the government to establish an expert group to consider biofuel policy in the upcoming Budget 2024. We advocate for the reclassification of HVO as a biofuel, which would reduce taxation and make it more accessible to homeowners.
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