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CSO Frontier Series outputs may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example new administrative data sources. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release.
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Pathway four of Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, published in September 2021 by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, looks to address vacancy and the efficient use of existing housing stock. A requirement for more data in this area was identified. As metered electricity consumption data in Ireland is collected by a single organisation (ESB Networks), residential electricity consumption data offers an opportunity to deliver insights on housing occupancy and vacancy levels in the State. Vacant Dwelling Indicators based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2021 uses measures of low levels of electricity consumption to estimate residential vacancy levels across time and geography.
By classifying active network connections with a suitably low level of consumption over four consecutive quarters as vacant, the indicators estimated describe residential dwellings vacant over a period of time. This is distinct from definitions of vacancy which are based on ‘point in time’, for example Census 2022 or LPT analysis published by Revenue. Due to limitations of the data, indicators of vacancy based on utility data should not be used to measure the number of properties potentially available for reuse.
The vacancy rate in Ireland for dwellings was 4.3% in Q4 2021, based on metered electricity consumption.
In Dublin, 2.3% of dwellings in Q4 2021 were vacant, compared with 5.1% in the rest of Ireland.
Nationally, vacancy rates have fallen from 4.9% at the start of the series in Q1 2016 to 4.3 in Q4 2021. In Dublin, there has been a small rise from 1.9% to 2.3% over this time.
Leitrim was the Local Authority with the highest vacancy rate at 10.6% in Q4 2021, followed by Roscommon (9.5%) and Mayo (8.7%). The lowest vacancy rates were in South Dublin (1.4%), Fingal (1.9%) and Kildare (1.9%).
Swinford in Mayo was the Local Electoral Area (LEA) with the highest percentage of vacant dwellings in Q4 2021 (12.2%), while the lowest was in Leixlip, Kildare and Tallaght Central, Dublin (both 0.7%).
The vacancy rate for rural areas (7.5%) was more than double the rate in urban areas (2.9%) in Q4 2021.
The vacancy rate for apartments was 3.7% in Q4 2021, 3.2% for detached houses, 2.9% for terraced houses, and 1.8% for semi-detached houses. (This analysis was only available for dwellings with a Building Energy Rating (BER)).
Close to two in ten (19.2%) of vacant dwellings in Q4 2021 with BER assessments were constructed prior to 1919 while more than four in ten (41.7%) were built prior to 1960.
In this publication, a dwelling is defined as vacant when it has very little or no electricity consumption over four consecutive quarters. This definition identifies vacancy over a period of time. Therefore, it is different from definitions of vacancy which are based on ‘point in time’, for example Census 2022 or LPT analysis published by Revenue. See Background Notes and Methodology chapter for more information on vacancy from the census and long-term vacancy comparisons.
Quarterly electricity consumption per Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh), was supplied by ESB Networks to the CSO. The data can be based on actual or estimated meter readings, but the data file provided to the CSO does not distinguish between these two types of readings. Only active connections are examined in this report. Deactivated and terminated connections are excluded. This base should therefore be a good proxy for habitable dwellings.
A threshold of 180kWh consumption within a quarter is used in the analysis here to define vacancy. This equates to an average of approximately 2kWh per day which is the level of usage that Electric Ireland applied when deciding on a low usage standing charge. Only empty/vacant households and premises were expected by Electric Ireland to attract this charge. For context, 2kWh consumption is enough to keep a medium sized fridge running for a day.
For this Frontier publication, a dwelling is defined as vacant where electricity consumption is below 180kWh for at least four consecutive quarters. Consumption is examined over a year, and not a single quarter, for two reasons: this gives more insights on long-term vacancy; and quarterly consumption figures are often estimated and may not fully reflect reality. Actual meter readings are usually taken on at least an annual basis. This means that if a dwelling has low consumption over the course of a full year, this should be accurately captured across all four quarters.
ESB networks are currently installing smart meters across the country, and the National Smart Metering Programme is on track to have every home in Ireland using a smart meter by the end of 2024. The consistent format and method of collection of data from regular smart meter readings will allow for more granular and accurate analysis of occupancy and vacancy.
| Vacant Dwelling Indicators Based on Metered Electricity Consumption 2021 | |||
| Vacancy Rate (%) | |||
| Dublin | Rest of Ireland | National | |
| Q4 2020 | 2.2 | 5.5 | 4.6 |
| Q3 2021 | 2.1 | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| Q4 2021 | 2.3 | 5.1 | 4.3 |
| Percentage Points change in Vacancy Rate | |||
| Change in last quarter | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Change in last year | 0.1 | -0.4 | -0.3 |
The vacancy rate in Ireland fell slightly from 4.9% to 4.3% between Q1 2016 and Q4 2021. Over the same time period, the vacancy rate in Dublin rose slightly from 1.9% to 2.3% while the rate for the Rest of Ireland fell from 6.0% to 5.1%. Despite the rise in rates in Dublin, the rate at Q4 2021 is still less than half of that seen for the rest of Ireland. See Figure 1.1 and Table 1.1 and PxStat table VAC01.
The Local Authority with the highest rate of vacancy in Q4 2021 was Leitrim at 10.6% followed by Roscommon (9.5%) and Mayo (8.7%). This rate was lowest for South Dublin (1.4%), Fingal and Kildare (both 1.9%). See Map 1.1. Vacancy rates by local authority for quarters going back to Q1 2016 are available in the PxStat table VAC04.
Map 1.2 shows the rates of vacancy in Q4 2021 by Local Electoral Area (LEA). Vacancy rates were highest in Swinford in Mayo (12.2%), Ballinamore in Leitrim (11.9%), and Glenties in Donegal (11.5%). The rates were lower in Dublin and surrounding areas and in the other cities. The lowest rates were 0.7% in Leixlip, Kildare and in Tallaght Central, Dublin, and 0.9% in both Celbridge, Kildare and Ongar, Dublin. Of the 31 LEAs in Dublin, only eight had vacancy rates higher than 3%, with the highest rate at 4.7% in South East Inner City, followed by 4.2% in both Pembroke and North Inner City. Vacancy rates by LEA for quarters going back to Q1 2016 are available in the PxStat table VAC05.
At an Electoral Division (ED) level there is a wide range of vacancy rates in Q4 2021, ranging from 0% in 12 EDs to 27.7% in An Ghrafaidh in Donegal with large swathes of low vacancy around Dublin and the East and the other cities. See Map 1.3.
The ED in Dublin with the highest vacancy rate in Q4 2021 was Mansion House B at 10.5%, Royal Exchange B (9.6%), and St Kevin's (7.0%). Vacancy rates by ED for quarters going back to Q1 2016 are available in the PxStat table VAC06.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (31 January 2022) released a Frontier publication that looks at vacancy of residential dwellings using metered electricity consumption data.
Commenting on the release, Justin Anderson, Statistician in the Statistical System Co-ordination Unit, said: “The CSO has previously published details of metered electricity consumption from data provided from the ESB Networks. This report out today identifies dwellings which can be assumed to be vacant through particularly low levels of consumption over a period of at least four consecutive quarters (See the Information Note above the Key Findings and Editor's Note below for more information).
National and Dublin Vacancy
The national vacancy rate was 4.3% in Q4 2021. This rate was 2.3% in Dublin and 5.1% for the Rest of Ireland. There has been a slight rise in the vacancy rate in Dublin over the last few years from a low of 1.7% in Q1 2018. Nationally, there has been a fall in vacancy rates from a high of 4.9% in Q1 2016.
Urban-Rural and Sub-National Vacancy
The vacancy rate in Q4 2021 for rural areas (7.5%) was more than double the rate in urban areas (2.9%).
The highest percentage of vacant dwellings at a local authority level was in Leitrim (10.6%), Roscommon (9.5%), and Mayo (8.7%), with the lowest rates in South Dublin (1.4%), Fingal and Kildare (both 1.9%). At a Local Electoral Area level, Swinford in Mayo had the highest rate of vacancy at 12.2% in Q4 2021, while the lowest was in Leixlip in Kildare and Tallaght Central in Dublin (both 0.7%).
Dwelling Types and Building Energy Ratings
In Q4 2021 - where a match can be made to a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment - vacancy rates were highest for apartments (3.7%) and lowest for semi-detached houses (1.8%).
Vacant dwellings were more likely to have a BER of F or G compared with all dwellings with a BER assessment. Ratings of F or G were given to 35.3% of dwellings vacant in Q4 2021 in their most recent BER assessment, but only 10.2% of all dwellings had one of these ratings."