A new report which highlights the importance of reducing Ireland's energy demand in order to make renewable energy targets achievable has been launched by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The report, 'Ireland's Energy Targets - Progress, Ambition and Impacts', said the number of homes and businesses being upgraded for improved energy efficiency carried out each year needs to treble.

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Dr Eimear Cotter, Head of Low Carbon Technologies with SEAI, said: "The report highlights that while 40,000 homes and 550 businesses are already using some form of renewable heat technologies, this level needs to increase sevenfold. The scale of the challenge is equally evident in the transport sector. The use of biofuels added to traditional transport fuels needs to treble. And new electric vehicle registrations need to grow from less than 1% of new car sales to 20% within the next five years."

(CD/LM)