Insurance companies are being inundated with calls arising from damage to homes during the recent storms. It will be the end of the month before the total bill is known.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) said companies were "extremely busy" trying to deal with individual claims and it would be late January before it received a total figure from each of the insurance companies.
She said damage caused to homes by fallen trees, roof damage and loss of freezer contents due to electricity cuts were typical of the claims.
A spokeswoman for Guardian Direct said: "We're still so busy taking calls that we haven't had time to do any kind of analysis."
The claims manager of Norwich Union, Mr Tony Delany, said it was very difficult to put a figure on the average household claim at this stage.
"The advice we're giving people is to carry out the emergency repairs as soon as possible."