#Energy Efficiency

Articles and analysis relating to measures that can improve energy efficiency in the home.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

close-up of an automatic milking machine in a dairy cow farm
Kieran Coughlan: Want to save yourself hundreds or thousands on the farm?
Any grant aid received will help reduce the payback period. But in a tough year for farming, investing in solar still makes sense, writes rural tax adviser Kieran Coughlan

Fri, 29 May, 2026

Worried this winter campaign
Irish consumers face €600 rise in energy bills due to data centres, report warns
Data centres accounted for 22% of electricity consumption in Ireland in 2024

Thu, 28 May, 2026

Households with pay-as-you-go gas meters will be able to top up online from next year
Households with pay-as-you-go gas meters will be able to top up online from next year
Customers will still be able to top up at a retail outlet, energy regulator says 

Tue, 19 May, 2026

Large offshore drilling rig in the gulf at sunset
Emergency gas reserve 'many years' away despite proposed laws
Two bills to set up the reserve will have 'no impact' on current energy crisis

Thu, 14 May, 2026

National Grid electricity
Nuclear option is back on the table — but politicians and the public will take some convincing
The fuel protests prompted debate on the link between a lack of energy self-sufficiency and high prices, with many asking why nuclear was not higher on the agenda

Mon, 11 May, 2026

FRANCE-ENERGY-NUCLEAR-CIVAUX
Taoiseach: We should 'seriously examine' nuclear power
Speaking in Armenia, Micheál Martin said that Ireland relies too much on imported energy

Mon, 04 May, 2026

Applications for home energy grants have surged, says SEAI
Applications for home energy grants have surged, says SEAI
So far this year, there has been a record 25,000 grant applications

Mon, 04 May, 2026

Meet the Irish electrician turning rubbish into renewable energy devices
Meet the Irish electrician turning rubbish into renewable energy devices
Former electrician Barra Mulligan has spent 20 years transforming everyday scrap into homemade wind and river turbines, writes Sarah Horgan

Sun, 03 May, 2026

EPH Controls: From wheelbarrow beginnings to a new €15m HQ by Cork's Kinsale Road
EPH Controls: From wheelbarrow beginnings to a new €15m HQ by Cork's Kinsale Road
Cork company EPH is now the market leader in the Irish heating controls industry

Mon, 27 Apr, 2026

Rising fuel costs, Bantry, Co Cork. Ireland
Why Ireland’s energy supports are becoming part of the problem
What begins as emergency support can quietly become a standing feature of the system, rarely questioned and even more rarely removed

Fri, 27 Mar, 2026

Winter weather Jan 26th 2025
Households' response to storms leading to 'worse environmental outcomes'
The National Economic and Social Council said the major shift needed in energy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions is leading to missed opportunities

Fri, 20 Feb, 2026

Dozens of barriers preventing Ireland from reaching 2030 climate goals
Dozens of barriers preventing Ireland from reaching 2030 climate goals
The Joint Committee on Climate said Ireland will struggle to achieve the national objective of a 51% reduction in carbon emissions with 30 separate barriers to be overcome

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Switzerland Davos Trump
Irish Examiner view: No force, all farce from Trump in Davos
His speech was characteristic, blending bluster and criticism with threats — some veiled, some overt

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Wind energy versus coal fired power plants
Data centres must get at least 80% of their energy from renewables, regulator says
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities said grid operators will have to consider where a data centre is being proposed for and if the energy demand in that area is already constrained

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

Electric car purchase incentives
Electric vehicle ownership higher in urban areas while rural dwellers more likely to opt for petrol or diesel
CSO research also shows only a quarter of us switched energy providers in the last year

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Warmer homes scheme: Applicants wait up to 22 months for retrofits to be completed
Warmer homes scheme: Applicants wait up to 22 months for retrofits to be completed
Wait times could increase as more people become eligible for the retrofitting programme

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Government proposes new electricity interconnector between Ireland and Spain
Government proposes new electricity interconnector between Ireland and Spain
Energy minister Darragh O’Brien said the Government would have to examine possible locations where the interconnector could land in Ireland

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

DENIS SCANNELL
Risk of electricity shortage lowest in years, EirGrid reports
EirGrid is forecasting in its winter outlook that there will be adequate generation capacity and a reduced risk of system alerts

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

'Get offshore wind farms over the line' to meet AI energy demands, says Taoiseach
'Get offshore wind farms over the line' to meet AI energy demands, says Taoiseach
Data centres continued to consume a greater share of Ireland’s energy last year, with their electricity consumption rising by 10% in 2024

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

Typical UK terraced housing street derelict
Power Me Up: Your guide to connecting your new build to ESB Networks
The basics of getting electricity to your self-build, renovation, or new estate home

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Gas Networks Ireland spent €190m building 'capacity, security, and resilience' last year 
Gas Networks Ireland spent €190m building 'capacity, security, and resilience' last year 
Its annual report said it will spend more than €200m in 2025 to further bolster security

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Bloom festival 2025
Taoiseach rejects 'housing vs data centres' energy claim by senior civil servant 
Department secretary general had said data centres had used up spare capacity in the energy grid and policymakers faced stark choices — 'is it housing or is it AI?'

Thu, 29 May, 2025

Kieran McCarthy: Is electric heating the solution for your home?
Kieran McCarthy: Is electric heating the solution for your home?
Builder Advice: There is a wide range of electric powered options when replacing an old oil-fired central heating system

Tue, 20 May, 2025

APTOPIX Spain Power Outage
What caused the blackout in Spain and Portugal and did renewable energy play a part?
The countries boast high levels of wind and solar on their grids, leading to speculation about the robustness of the technology

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Energy grid sounded alerts twice last year
Energy grid sounded alerts twice last year
There were also five further warnings that power supply was within margins considered to be 'not optimal', according to EirGrid

Mon, 21 Apr, 2025

The mistake we made in the last economic crisis was not building infrastructure
The mistake we made in the last economic crisis was not building infrastructure
Why we need to double down on infrastructure expenditure and ensure Ireland remains attractive from a competitiveness perspective

Wed, 09 Apr, 2025

Slow development of Irish maritime security strategy raises concerns
Slow development of Irish maritime security strategy raises concerns
Massive expansion in offshore wind energy infrastructure and power cables over coming years

Sun, 02 Mar, 2025

Planning permission for Dublin data centre denied following appeal
Planning permission for Dublin data centre denied following appeal
Almost 18 months after it lodged its appeal, Equinix Ireland Ltd has been refused permission for its data centre plans in Clondalkin

Wed, 26 Feb, 2025

Home tax deduction
Landlords face €8bn bill for rental home energy upgrades, study finds
A new ESRI report estimates retrofitting Ireland’s rental homes could cost up to €8bn, with many landlords unable to afford the investment

Fri, 21 Feb, 2025

Red paper cutout car on stacks of gold coins on green background. Illustration of the concept of increasing car prices, surging
Why sustainability in Ireland demands more than goodwill
In the race against climate change, an approach that leaves behind those who can’t afford the starting fee is bound to fail, not only ethically but practically

Fri, 07 Feb, 2025

University of Limerick student becomes first person from small village in Pakistan to earn a PhD
University of Limerick student becomes first person from small village in Pakistan to earn a PhD
The 28-year-old's daily family life was disrupted by regular power outages, which led Muhammad to search for solutions to energy-related problems

Fri, 24 Jan, 2025

Upscaling of wind and solar farms has saved Irish customers nearly €840m
Upscaling of wind and solar farms has saved Irish customers nearly €840m
Conference will hear the financial benefit of developing renewable energy has 'significantly outweighed' all possible costs.

Thu, 16 Jan, 2025

Two engineers installing solar panels on roof.
More than two thirds of schools apply for funding to install solar panels 
Since launch of the first phase of the programme in 2023, more than 1,100 schools have been approved for roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels

Fri, 03 Jan, 2025

Celtic Interconnector-funded walking trail opens in Cork
Celtic Interconnector-funded walking trail opens in Cork
The first phase of the Leamlara Woods walking trail was developed thanks to a slice of a special €2.4m community fund

Sun, 22 Dec, 2024

Hand holding a tablet with smart home system applications
Donal Hickey: How to save on energy bills over the Christmas period
Solar lights, being nifty with your cooking, and delaying putting on the heating if you're out and about anyway can all help reduce bills

Thu, 19 Dec, 2024

IT Technician with a Laptop Computer and Black Male Engineer Colleague are Talking in Data Center while Walking Next to Server R
Campaigners urge moratorium on data centres
Data centres used more than one-fifth of Ireland's electricity in 2023

Wed, 20 Nov, 2024

loft insulation
Almost 500 council homes in Cork in line for energy upgrades
In 2025, Cork County Council aims to upgrade 135 local authority homes, followed by 175 properties in 2026, and 169 the following year

Thu, 24 Oct, 2024

UK gala screening of Poor Things - London
Green Party rejects actor Mark Ruffalo's criticism of new planning bill
Hollywood star slams Greens for backing an amendment to the Planning and Development Bill, which would label LNG terminals as strategic infrastructure developments

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Google Stock
Google Ireland refused permission for new Dublin data centre 
The planning documents stated that the data centre will indirectly contribute 224,250 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum without any mitigation measures.

Tue, 27 Aug, 2024

Meta Data Centres
AI tech giants hide dirty energy with outdated carbon accounting rules 
Companies are buying credits — called unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs) — that can make it seem that power consumed from a coal plant came from a solar farm instead.

Wed, 21 Aug, 2024

'Landlords should have to bring rental properties up to minimum BER' – Green Party
'Landlords should have to bring rental properties up to minimum BER' – Green Party
'I don’t think it is fair for people to be paying rent in a D4 energy rated house in this day and age,' said Green Party deputy leader Senator Róisín Garvey

Mon, 12 Aug, 2024

New works to begin in East Cork as part of the €1.6bn Celtic Interconnector project
New works to begin in East Cork as part of the €1.6bn Celtic Interconnector project
Siemens Energy and its sub-contractors are preparing to start construction of a converter station at the former Amgen site at Ballyadam, Carrigtwohill

Fri, 09 Aug, 2024

Carbon economy stock
'Persistent deficits' in energy may harm Ireland's competitiveness 
The Government must address “persistent deficits” in the country’s infrastructure, particularly in areas of energy, water, and waste-water, as it may impact Ireland’s competitiveness as well as its attractiveness for foreign investment, the National ...

Wed, 24 Jul, 2024

Energy efficiency mobile app on screen, eco house
Rising number of energy-efficient homes may fuel 'green mortgage' market
The CSO figures found the highest proportions of A rated dwellings were in Kildare at 26%, Meath at 24%, and Dublin County at 23%, in the quarter ending in June, while the lowest were in Leitrim and Cork City

Wed, 17 Jul, 2024

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Mick Clifford
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