The number of Building Energy Ratings (Ber) audits carried out on properties increased by 17 per cent in the third quarter of this year, as almost all new homes are now receiving a top A grade rating.
Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that there were 39,400 domestic Ber audits reported in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 17 per cent on the same quarter last year.
There was an upward trend in months throughout the quarter, as the annual increase in the number of Ber audits in July 2023 was 21 per cent, while the increase was 17 per cent in August, and 12 per cent in September.
A Ber is an indication of the energy performance of a dwelling (represented in units of kWh/m2/year).
Between January 2009 and September 2023, 1.38 million Ber audits have been undertaken, with trends showing improvement in energy ratings of new homes.
Top A ratings have been given to 99 per cent of homes built between 2020 and 2023, compared to 95 per cent built between 2015 and 2019, and just 3 per cent of properties constructed between 2005 and 2009.
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In 89 per cent of homes built between 2020 and 2023, electricity is the main heating fuel, up from 49 per cent of homes built between 2015 and 2019. Just 11 per cent of new homes built between 2020 and 2023 use mains gas for heating, while 0 per cent use heating oil.
The highest proportion of A ratings were in counties Kildare (25 per cent), Meath (22 per cent), and Dublin County (22 per cent), while the lowest was in Leitrim (3 per cent).
Among cities, Cork City had the lowest proportion of A rated dwellings (4 per cent), compared with Limerick City (6 per cent), Galway City (9 per cent), Waterford City (9 per cent) and Dublin 0-24 (14 per cent).
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Among Dublin postal districts, the highest proportions of A rated dwellings were in Dublin 18 (34 per cent) and Dublin 13 (26 per cent), while the highest proportion of G ratings were in Dublin 6 (14 per cent).
Ber ratings of non-domestic buildings
Meanwhile, there were 1,243 Ber audits of non-domestic buildings in the third quarter of this year, up 3.2 per cent on the same quarter last year.
Almost two fifths (38 per cent) of buildings constructed between 2020 and 2023 have received an A rating, compared with 22 per cent of those built between 2015 and 2019.
In general, schools and colleges are the most energy efficient, with 40 per cent audited between 2009 and 2023 awarded an A rating. This is followed by nursing residential homes and hostels, with 13 per cent rated A.
The least energy efficient building types are workshops and maintenance buildings, with 23 per cent receiving the lowest G rating.
