The number of homes retrofitted this year has exceeded targets.

It's expected a total of 46-thousand households will have benefitted from energy upgrades by the end of this year.

43-thousand were completed at the end of November - an 85 per cent increase on last year.

Government ministers yesterday approved a new Climate Action Plan, which is due to be launched ahead of a public consultation in the new year.

Minister Eamon Ryan says initial estimates for this year predict the country's emissions will be down by 4 per cent...