Some households in the Republic are struggling under the dual strain of insecure accommodation and difficulty keeping their home warm.
A study supported by The Housing Agency shows private renters are most at risk from such a combination of precarious housing and energy circumstances.
Private rented dwellings are among the most likely to be in bad physical condition with poor insulation, draughts, damp and inefficient heating systems.
However, fears about antagonising landlords often prevent renters from raising issues of concern.
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Richard Waldron, urban planning lecturer at University College Dublin, who led the study, said while many households suffered energy poverty, and many others were in insecure housing, a “significant minority” of 11 per cent faced both.
“These findings underscore the urgent need for more targeted policy interventions to address the multidimensional nature of housing and energy insecurity,” notes the document.
The study, Precarious Housing and Energy Conditions in Ireland, was financed by the Housing Agency which advises the Department of Housing.
It developed a housing-energy precarity index, drawing on data from separate studies on home ownership, rental markets, poverty, energy efficiency and energy affordability.
“Despite the extent of the energy and housing crises facing households today, the combined impact of these issues is rarely considered,” said Dr Waldron.
“We’re trying to understand how these issues are interconnected to better target interventions and develop ways to help the most at-risk.
“The big issue coming out of the report is that housing tenure is one of the strongest predictors of energy precarity.”
The report notes that €570 million was spent on energy credits to offset spiralling bills but recipients included people with secure, high-quality housing and good incomes.
By contrast, just €90 million was allocated for retrofitting social homes last year.
It highlights research showing it would cost €7 to 8 billion to retrofit all privately rented properties to an efficiency rating of B2, but government policies have so far failed to tackle the split incentive barrier.
Split incentive occurs when a landlord bears all the costs of retrofitting, but the tenant receives all the benefits.
The report also shows that while local authority inspections of private rented dwellings increased in recent years, there was little enforcement when problems such as damp, cold and poorly functioning heating systems were detected.
Dr Waldron said the health effects of energy precarity for physically frail and older people were well known, but the risk to mental health of younger people was less recognised.
“It can be very hard on interpersonal relations where people share very high energy bills while also paying high rents and they are afraid to raise the condition of their home with the landlord because they are so insecure in the tenancy.”
