The Government was called on today to take thousands of householders out of fuel poverty and ill-health.
The Institute of Public Health (IPH) said a fuel poverty strategy - similar to a model in Northern Ireland - needs to be developed in the Republic. Published in 2004, it regularly monitors households at risk and vows to eliminate fuel poverty in the North by 2020.
However, the IPH said there is no strategy or calculations for those living in the South, with latest figures dating back to 2001. They revealed people in 227,000 properties (18.4 per cent) were forced to live in cold, damp, and thermally inefficient houses - with 652 deaths directly linked to poor housing standards.
"Fuel poverty remains an important public health issue on the island and continues to contribute to significant ill-health and social exclusion particularly among vulnerable and low-income households," said Dr Helen McAvoy, IPH Senior Policy Officer.
"Tackling fuel poverty requires a strategic approach that takes into account a range of issues such as fluctuating fuel prices and the projected rise in numbers of vulnerable households, such as those made up of older people living alone and lone parents."
Fuel poverty is defined as when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent of an income on energy to maintain an acceptable level of heat throughout their home.
Dr McAvoy said levels of fuel poverty remain unacceptably high on the island of Ireland with an estimated 2,800 more deaths over the winter months - making it one of the highest levels of excess winter mortality in Europe.
Around 44% of excess winter deaths in the south of Ireland are directly associated with poor housing standards.
PA