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Dwellings with an energy rating of A and B, that used electricity as their main space heating fuel, had an average electricity consumption of 37 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per square metre in 2022 compared with 72 kWh per square metre for E rated dwellings and 61 kWh per square metre for F and G rated dwellings (See Table A and Table 5B).
Electricity consumption decreased for dwellings with energy ratings where electricity was the main space heating fuel, when compared with 2021 (See Editor's Note).
Detached houses had the highest average electricity consumption, at 7,317 kWh for 2022. This was 73% higher than for mid-terrace houses which had the lowest average consumption at 4,228 kWh in 2022 (See Table 2A).
More energy-efficient dwellings that used electricity for space heating had a greater floor area than older and less energy-efficient dwellings that also used electricity for heating (See Table 4A).
Detached houses had an average electricity consumption rate of 38 kWh per square metre, compared with 46 kWh per square metre for mid-terrace houses and 70 kWh per square metre for apartments (See Table 5A).
This release is based on 180,500 dwellings that have had a Building Energy Rating (BER) audit and that use electricity as their main space heating fuel. The release was compiled by matching the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Domestic Building Energy Ratings file with the ESB Networks metered electricity consumption file by meter point reference number.
| Mean Electricity Consumption | |
| A/B | 5.100 |
| C | 5.215 |
| D | 5.085 |
| E | 4.845 |
| F/G | 3.966 |
| Apartment | 4.537 |
| House (mid-terrace) | 4.228 |
| House (end-of-terrace) | 4.376 |
| House (semi-detached) | 4.469 |
| House (detached) | 7.317 |
| A/B | F/G | |
| Apartments | 74 | 47 |
| Detached Houses | 229 | 90 |
| Table A Mean Electricity Consumption per square metre by Year and Energy Rating 2022 | |||||
| Mean kilowatt hours per square metre | |||||
| Year | A/B | C | D | E | F/G |
| 2015 | 37 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 63 |
| 2016 | 36 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 63 |
| 2017 | 35 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 64 |
| 2018 | 37 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 67 |
| 2019 | 34 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 63 |
| 2020 | 39 | 77 | 80 | 81 | 68 |
| 2021 | 41 | 75 | 79 | 80 | 67 |
| 2022 | 37 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 61 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (12 July 2023) published Household Electricity Consumption by Building Energy Ratings 2022.
Commenting on the release, Kevin Hunt, Statistician in the Environment and Climate Division, said: "This analysis combines the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Domestic Building Energy Ratings and ESB Networks Metered Electricity Consumption files. It includes all matched households which used electricity as their main space heating fuel.
Energy Rating
Dwellings with higher energy ratings generally used less electricity per square metre of floor area. Average electricity consumption per square metre was 37 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for A and B rated dwellings in 2022, 68 kWh for C rated dwellings, 71 kWh for D rated dwellings, 72 kWh for E rated dwellings, and 61 kWh for F and G rated dwellings (See Table 5B). These figures represent an overall decline in usage for dwellings with energy ratings where electricity was the main space heating fuel compared with 2021: A and B rated decreased by -10%, C rated dwellings by- 9%, D rated dwellings by -10%, E rated dwellings by -10%, and F and G rated dwellings by -9% (See Table 5B).
We can also see that A and B rated dwellings consumed more total electricity than F and G rated dwellings, A and B rated dwellings had a mean electricity consumption of 5,100 kWh compared with 4,845 for E rated dwellings and 3,966 kWh for F and G rated dwellings (See Table 2B).
Period of Construction
The mean electricity consumption per square metre was lower for newer dwellings compared with older construction periods. In 2022, consumption per square metre for dwellings constructed from 2005-2022 was 41 kWh, compared with 68 kWh for dwellings constructed from 2000-2004, 64 kWh for dwellings constructed from 1967-1999, and 51 kWh for dwellings constructed between 1900 and 1966 (See Table 5C).
Dwelling Type
Mean total electricity consumption between dwelling types had a wider range than between energy rating. The highest category of dwelling by usage was detached houses, with mean electricity consumption of 7,317 kWh of electricity in 2022. This was 73% higher than mid-terrace houses which had a mean consumption of 4,228 kWh in 2022 (See Table 2A).
Floor Area
More energy-efficient dwellings that used electricity for space heating had more floor area than less energy-efficient households. Detached houses with A and B ratings had a mean floor area of 229 square metres, reducing to 90 square metres for detached houses with F and G ratings. Similarly A and B rated apartments had a mean floor area of 74 square metres compared with 46 square metres area for F and G rated apartments (See Table 4A)".