 Thank you very much, Brendan, for those kind words. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm very pleased to be with you this morning. And I'm very glad to have the opportunity to speak directly to those who are working to bring the better energy program to life. It is at events such as this that we see the key stakeholders in the program come together to share experience and build on what we have learned to date. Bringing retrofit to the market will require energy suppliers, financial institutions, and energy service companies to work together to make retrofitting achievable for Irish homeowners. In this regard, I'm especially pleased to welcome the publication to which Thay referred, of Thinking Deeper Financing Options for Home Retrofit, which draws together the expertise of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and the Institute of International and European Affairs with the European Climate Foundation. Every year, homeowners and businesses lose money through wasted energy. Improving energy efficiency requires everyone, individuals, businesses, and government to take action. Individuals and businesses can play their part by investing in energy efficiency measures for the home and the workplace, and by choosing to purchase more energy-efficient buildings and products. I'm increasingly convinced that the best way of looking at energy efficiency is as an investment in your future, in your future comfort and health, rather than solely as a financial investment. We know that our national targets will be difficult to achieve, given the economic constraints that we're operating under, but the reality is that we cannot afford to maintain the status quo. Government will continue to encourage businesses and individuals by ensuring that the framework is in place to incentivize action and to deliver continuing improvements to the energy efficiency of buildings and products. We will provide the supporting framework, but much will depend on your action and your innovation. Ireland has an ambitious target of reducing our energy demand by at least 20% by 2020. The current National Energy Efficiency Action Plan sets out actions for the period to 2020 to achieve those energy efficiency targets. The savings identified in the action plan represent approximately 1.6 billion in annual energy cost reductions for the economy in 2020, whilst also reducing our CO2 emissions by approximately 5.7 million tons per annum. To put this in perspective, the national 20% energy savings target is equivalent to 32,000 gigawatt hours saved by 2020. The actions outlined in our second National Action Plan, which I will shortly be bringing to government, are projected to realize 33,500 gigawatt hours of energy savings by 2020. While these projections represent a slight overachievement of our targets, a fundamental change in the energy sector focused on the efficient management and correct use of energy will be the means to achieving this. It should be noted that the EU Commission's proposed energy efficiency directive signals an intention to place a mandatory obligation scheme on all energy suppliers with a fixed target for energy savings. This will prove challenging, and while we have an advantage in rolling out our program now, we need to be aware of the demands of future EU policy measures. Energy efficiency, the energy efficiency supports provided by SEAI to industry and business, have helped companies in Ireland to collectively reduce their energy costs by 200 million per annum. The diversity of the businesses in Ireland requires a corresponding diversity of available supports. The dedicated SME program gives free energy management training advice and support to any business that is willing to show a commitment to becoming more energy efficient. Over 1,600 businesses have already availed of the many support services under this program, with 10% savings routine in the first year. I would urge businesses to systematically avail of that service. SEAI's large industry energy network and the energy agreements program is a well-established networking and information program for large industrial energy users. It engages over 150 of the largest energy users to share information on energy savings technologies and techniques to manage savings and maintain competitiveness. Many key elements are highlighted through these programs, funding, regulation, policy, advice. We want a wide range of entrepreneurs and enterprises to flourish through recognizing that their needs are different. This equally applies to the public sector, where we're developing an energy monitoring and reporting system to help all public sector bodies to track their progress in respect of the 2020 targets. This will place demanding requirements and public bodies, including the development of a monitoring and reporting system for energy efficiency, reporting of energy consumption and the publication of a public sector energy report. These are the first steps towards organization level energy efficiency targets to ensure that we meet the 33% energy efficiency target for the public sector. There is an onus on the public sector to lead from the front and we should embrace the opportunity. There is much discussion in national and European circles about the role of energy service companies in unlocking energy savings. For instance, the new energy efficiency directive views ESCOs as having a key role to play in meeting national energy efficiency targets. My objective is to create the conditions for a vibrant market that will not only stimulate ESCOs, activity generally, but which will use the public sector to support the creation of a pipeline, of pipeline projects for many years to come. There are several policy barriers to be addressed which include asset ownership, borrowing limits and the development of model contracts. But these will be overcome. The opportunity is simply too great to ignore. ICS goes as very much aligned with the creation of a national pay-as-you-save scheme. As a precursor to this kind of activity, better energy workplaces will provide 11.5 million euro in funding for projects in the public and private sectors this year. Through the experience we hope to gain from this program, we can turn our businesses into the model of 21st century sustainable entrepreneurships. Such projects may comprise individual or package measures aimed at achieving lasting savings in energy usage for thermal, electrical or transport purposes. The main focus this year will be on achieving delivery of sustainable energy, mainly energy efficiency, sustainable energy investment projects of differing sizes and complexities. Similar projects in 2009 and 2010 had a spend of 5.9 million and 7.8 million respectively with annual savings of 63 gigawatt hours. I've spoken about what has been achieved already, but now I'd like to say a few words about what we could and should be doing in the future. I think most people will recognize that it is difficult to give promises about future funding levels. However, what I can say is that the program for government commitment to move out of state supports for energy efficiency and into a pay as you save scheme is something that I'm very keen to progress. The pay as you save scheme is an innovative financing mechanism that will allow consumers to finance upgrades directly through the energy savings generated. My department has convened a project team to undertake preliminary analysis of what a PAYS model would look like with the view to submitting an initial report to me next month. I expect to be in a position to bring proposals to government very soon after that. PAYS is anticipated to replace the existing grant supports in this area for which the 2011 capital allocation is 91.4 million. To date, under better energy, home's efficiency upgrades have been completed in 33.5,000 homes this year and over 96,000 homes since the program commenced in 2009. In total, the estimated energy savings achieved are 529 gigawatt hours or over 33 million euro. However, there are still obstacles and market failures preventing us realizing the full technical and economic potential for energy efficiency. These barriers include a lack of knowledge of the benefits of energy efficiency measures, a lack of access to capital and high costs of capital as well as a lack of motivation, awareness or interest amongst consumers. The Thinking Deeper report published today will prove, I think, to be an important touchstone in bringing forward ideas for future financing. It highlights problems in terms of financing barriers and underinvestment in energy efficiency, but importantly, it offers us solutions. I know that the PAYS project team will be analyzing this work carefully to build upon the identification of the energy efficiency gap. Building on our knowledge of the barriers, any future PAYS scheme will be structured around consumer and business needs, ensuring widespread uptake and corresponding provision by the business and finance sectors. It is important that the PAYS scheme give finance providers the confidence to provide upfront capital, secure in the knowledge that they will receive payments from the energy savings accrued, and I'd like to acknowledge the discussions that I've had with the banks in that regard. The practical barriers to installing energy efficiency measures include the upfront cost of measures, the length of time required for measures to pay back in savings, and what John Fitzgerald last month called the hassle factor involved in planning and carrying out the work. Most of all, many people have never even thought about retrofitting their homes and aren't aware of the energy savings available to them. In today's climate of rising energy prices, we can provide more incentives than ever to encourage uptake of energy efficiency measures. In advance of moving forward with such a scheme, I need to highlight the depth and breadth of work carried out in the UK in advance of the Green Deal. While this may prove to be a good starting point on which to model our own PAYS scheme, it cannot be seen as a ready-made solution suitable for our national circumstances. Our PAYS system will require flexibility and choice for consumers to meet the demands of our differing fuel mix and consumer behavior. However, I'm confident that our finance community who have been actively engaged to date will step up to the mark in ensuring that whatever model is pursued will be supported by the finance industry. Before we can shift to alternative financing mechanisms, there is still much work to be done in building a successful better energy program. Analysis shows that there are approximately one million buildings in Ireland that would benefit from some form of energy efficiency retrofit, which could lead to lifetime energy savings worth 16 billion, setting aside the additional health and well-being benefits. Realizing these benefits will create significant employment in the energy and construction sectors in support of economic renewal. We are involving the energy companies and other partners which will give consumers exciting new options. The energy services undertaken as part of Better Energy will typically include the installation of energy efficiency products, such as attic or cavity wall installation, for households. However, I'm keen to see innovation and expect the energy companies to step up to the mark in terms of new products and services. By working in partnership with the energy suppliers, I hope that we will be able to build scale and encourage innovative solutions. Better energy will allow for innovation and creativity in the green tech sector, providing an opportunity for indigenous companies to bring their services to the market. I want to see energy supply companies, energy service providers, and the construction industry working together to deliver energy savings, cost reductions, and smaller carbon footprints for energy customers. In this way, business, consumers, and the environment will all benefit. Energy suppliers can and should demonstrate a leadership role in more efficient use of energy. By doing so, they can also achieve a significant savings on their energy costs, enhancing their own competitiveness and that of the economy as a whole. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's work with business has proven that the opportunities are there and that actions on energy efficiency are awarded with real cost savings. I'm acutely aware of the difficulties that recent electricity and gas price rises by several utilities are having on householders and particularly those vulnerable customers who may already be struggling with arrears. The recent report from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a sobering reminder that energy poverty and reduced income are a cause of deep anxiety among many older people in our society, especially as we head into the winter months. That is why the government is determined to systematically tackle the causes and mitigate the effects of energy poverty across the country. The affordable energy strategy will be the framework for building upon the many measures already in place to protect households at risk from the effects of energy poverty which include thermal efficiency-based measures delivered through the Better Energy Warmer Homes program. The only long-term solution for those at risk is to provide energy efficiency improvements to homes in or at risk of energy poverty. It brings benefits to recipients in terms of energy affordability, tangible health improvements, and overall well-being. Today's energy efficiency improvements in over 71,000 homes have been made under the Better Energy Warmer Homes program. My department and the SEAI have a target of an additional 20,000 homes this year of which 11,000 have been completed by the end of August. I will continue to work in conclusion, Chairman. I will continue to work with all of the key stakeholders represented here today to realize the full potential of the Better Energy program to create sustainable employment, transform the construction industry, enhance energy services to consumers, and deliver the highest standards of quality, safety, and innovation. The wide range of supports in place already can be improved upon by utilizing the wealth of knowledge already available in this room. I hope that this conference can help to forge the links necessary to make this a reality. On a final note, Chairman, may I thank the IIEA and Joseph Carton in particular for hosting an event that is both timely and relevant in allowing us to assess our progress today in implementing a retrofit program that works for Ireland. Thank you very much indeed.