Energy use per household fell by 18% between 2006 and 2011 according to a new report Residential Energy in Ireland (2013) and published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

Energy efficiency improvement trebled in pace during that five year period compared with the previous ten years.

The SEAI Residential Energy in Ireland (2013) report is the most comprehensive analysis of energy usage in Irish homes. It provides data across a range of areas which impact on energy policy.

Launching the report Mr Kevin O'Rourke, Head of Low Carbon Technologies at SEAI said: "This report presents evidence of genuine energy efficiency gains. Firstly it shows that homeowners are looking to reduce their energy spend and maximise value through home investment and purchasing decisions, and their own personal behaviour. While there are a number of factors influencing behavioural change, the continued strengthening of our Building Regulations, among the most demanding in Europe, and the success of the Government's energy retrofitting policies and Better Energy schemes are clearly paying dividends.

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"We need to maintain the momentum in the vibrant retrofit sector which is worth hundreds of millions of euro and thousands of jobs. We also need to look to smarter more advanced solutions such as smart meters which can inform consumer energy usage habits."

The report also states that:

• Ireland's homes accounted for 27% of energy use and associated CO2 emissions in 2011.

• There were 1.65 million permanently occupied homes in Ireland in 2011, over one quarter of which were built since year 2000.

• One fifth of Irish homes are now recorded in SEAI's Building Energy Rating database, since first introduced in 2007.

• Average CO2 emissions from the typical Irish home were 6.4 tonnes in 2011, a fall of 40% since 1990.

• Over 98% of Irish homes are centrally heated. Over 70% in Dublin city and suburbs are gas heated, while oil has a market share of 70% in rural homes.

• A new home built to the 2011 Building Regulations will have a heating fuel usage of less than one fifth of the equivalent home built in the 1970s.

• Average energy spend per household fell by 2.3% between 2006 and 2011, even though fuel prices increased during that period.

• 4% of average disposable income was spent on fuel and power in 2009/2010. This is up from 3.6% in 2004/2005, but the same as in 1999/2000.

(CD/JP)