‘86% of homes’ own a microwave

IRISH householders really do love their microwaves according to new statistics which show that 86% of homes contain the time-saving oven.

Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase of more than 1,200% in the numbers of homes with a microwave.

Statistics from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) show that 95% of homes have a dishwasher — a gadget which is seen as much of a necessity as a vacuum cleaner (a device which is also resident in 95% of homes).

Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase of 559% in the numbers of Irish homes with a dishwasher, while the numbers of homes with two or more TVs has risen by 248%.

In 2005, up to 56% of Irish homes had a computer — a 821% increase on 20 years ago.

The SEI report on Energy in the Residential Sector demonstrated that energy usage per Irish dwelling increased by 34% since 1990.

It also showed that while we increasingly want more gadgets in our home, our homes themselves are also increasing in size with the average new build now at 161 square metres compared to 130 square metres in 1990 — an increase of 24%.

Irish householders use 27% more energy per dwelling than Britain and we stand at 36% over the EU average of 24%.

However, despite our larger homes and love of household gadgetry, the lion’s share of our electricity is spent on generating hot water for the home.

Heating water accounts for 23% of our energy usage while lighting accounts for a further 18%. Home heating accounts for 14% of our energy usage while cooking accounts for another 12% and refrigeration a further 11%. Wet appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines make up another 9%.

This contrasts with Britain where 66% of their electricity is spent on lighting and appliances, a further 18% on space heating, 10% for water heating and 6% for cooking.