Households prepared to change energy usage habits if the price is right – CSO

Irish households are prepared to shift their energy usage to more environmentally friendly solutions – if the price is right.

That is according to the latest survey from the CSO which found almost three-quarters of households would consider making substantial changes to their electricity consumption, if cheaper rates were available in off-peak times.

In addition almost one quarter of households have said the next vehicle they buy is likely to be electric, which offers cheaper running costs.

But the survey Household Environmental Behaviours - Energy Use, undertaken in the third quarter of 2021, also found that as yet, two-thirds of households have not installed any smart heating controls, solar panels or heat pumps.

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In addition about 53 per cent of urban households and 4 per cent of rural households use natural gas as their main heating fuel.

Wood logs, coal and peat remain the main fuels used in open fires.

The report analysed how household energy use varies by region and across characteristics such as owner-occupied and rented properties. It found wide disparities in energy sources between urban and rural dwellers. It found 53 per cent of rural households used kerosene as their main heating fuel compared with 21 per cent of urban households.

About 26 per cent of households living in rented properties used electricity as their main heating source compared with 7 per cent of households in owner-occupied properties.

Supplementary heating

Overall about three-quarters of households used additional supplementary heating, with stoves being used in 31 per cent of homes; open fires by 28 per cent, and plug-in electric heaters by 16 percent of households.

Stoves or ranges were much more likely to be used by rural households. Wood logs (18 per cent), coal (18 per cent ) and peat (12 per cent) were the main additional heating fuels used in an open fire. More than 28 per cent of households located in the Midland region used peat as an open fire additional heating fuel whereas 26 percent of households in the south-east and south-west regions used coal.

Electricity was used as the main cooking fuel by 68 per cent of households while 14 per cent used natural gas and 13 per cent used a combination of electricity and gas. Electricity was the predominant cooking fuel in all regions.

About 16 percent of households installed smart heating controls compared with 8 percent for heat pumps, 5 per cent for thermal solar panels, and just 3 per cent for PV solar panels. Two-thirds of households have not installed any smart heating controls, solar panels or heat pumps.

The proportion of respondents who said the were likely to purchase an electric vehicle when they next change their car was 24 percent. The figure represents a boost for Government whose target to have one million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030 has been seen as highly ambitious.

Some 74 per cent of respondents indicated they would consider making substantial changes to their electricity consumption, if they were cheaper rates in off-peak times.