Revealed: We use more energy than coldest countries

IRISH householders use more gas, electricity and solid fuel to heat and light their homes than consumers in Europe’s coldest and darkest countries, figures have revealed.

Homes in Ireland use the equivalent of two tonnes of oil a year — or about 2,000 litres — for heating and lighting, compared with 1.87 tonnes in Sweden, where the temperature can drop below freezing on 184 days of the year.

Yesterday, energy experts said Ireland could face significant rises in household energy bills unless homeowners trimmed back their usage by installing insulation, double-glazing and new low-energy devices.

“Energy prices are high but we think they are not high enough, as people are using more and not less energy in Ireland,” said energy expert Ernst van Duijn, of Roland Berger strategy consultants.

“Energy will become very scarce [in the future] and then no one will be able to afford it. It is an under-estimated problem.”

Over the past decade, Ireland’s homes have seen their gas and electricity usage rise by 36.5% as more homes ditch fuels such as home heating oil, peat and coal for mains supplies from Bord Gáis and the ESB.

Overall, household energy usage, measured in tonnes of oil, has increased by 2% despite recent record increases in the price of all fuels like electricity, gas and home heating oil. Annual Bord Gáis bills are about €824 while ESB bills average €805 a year.

Now, energy experts reckon the Government should introduce an energy tax on bills to reduce household consumption and should also penalise builders if they put up homes without proper insulation.

“What we typically see is that people do not want to compromise their standard of living by using less energy in the home,” said Mr van Duijn.

“So they have to feel the pain of using energy and they should feel that financially: those who use energy, supply energy and build homes need to ‘suffer’.”

He said the Government needed to look to its European neighbours such as Sweden and the Netherlands where household energy usage has decreased over the past decade.

“Sweden is much colder than Ireland yet their energy usage has decreased,” said Mr van Duijn.

“In the Netherlands there is a €250 a year tax on energy bills but a waiver for those using green energy.”

He said Ireland’s household usage should be closer to levels in Britain and the north as the countries share a similar climate.

The British government is giving a stamp duty rebate to home buyers whose houses are “zero carbon”, meaning they use energy in the most efficient ways possible.

Last month the Government announced a €5 million pilot scheme to insulate draughty homes as part of a €100m plan to install insulation in one million homes nationwide.

Household Consumption

Annual household energy consumption in gas, electricity, oil, peat and coal (measured in tonnes of oil):

* Ireland — 2.08.

* Sweden — 1.87.

* France — 1.79.

* Germany — 1.78.

* Britain and the North — 1.66.

* Holland — 1.45.

* Italy — 1.42.

* Spain — 1.(Source: Roland Berger strategy consultants)