Cork highly rated for eco-friendly homes
New research has revealed that Cork has the sixth most eco-friendly homes in Ireland today.
That’s according to a new report recently published by price comparison service Switcher.ie.
The Ireland’s Greenest Homes report set out to analyse and rank the counties with the most sustainable homes in the country.
Criteria considered in the report were: Building Efficiency Ratings (BER) of B2 and above, tonnes of recycled waste, newly registered electric vehicles (EVs), properties using solar energy, SEAI solar panel installations, SEAI roof insulations, and SEAI property upgrades.
County Wicklow took top spot with the greenest homes in the country, boasting the second-highest number of EVs and energy-efficient homes. It also beat many other regions when it came to recycling, solar energy, and SEAI grants.
Wicklow also had the second-highest level of electric car ownership and ranked highly for energy efficiency and recycling.
Kildare has the warmest homes in Ireland, with 16,252 homes with a BER of B2 or more.
Overall, Wicklow, Meath, Dublin, Wexford, Sligo, Cork, Kildare, Kerry, Waterford, and Galway were the top ten counties with the most eco-friendly homes.
Though more urban counties with higher incomes like Wicklow, Meath, Kildare, Dublin, Galway, and Cork made the top ten, counties like Sligo, Wexford, Waterford, and Kerry also fared very well, with plenty of warm, energy-efficient properties, SEAI grants, and a significant amount of homes using solar energy.
Commenting on the findings of the Ireland’s Greenest Homes report, Commercial Director of Switcher.ie, Eoin Clarke said: “With ambitious climate targets, government grants and sky-high energy prices, ever more Irish households are reducing their waste, driving electric, and making their homes warmer and more energy efficient.
“Besides lowering the carbon footprint, cleaner energy alternatives like electric cars, solar panels, and heat pumps also offer families longer-term ways to save.”
Unfortunately, Cork did not feature in the top five counties when it came to renewable energy, SEAI grants, and warmest homes. We did however come second in tonnes of recycling with 110 tonnes per 1,000 homes.
Mr Clarke continued: “Though urban, higher-income areas like Dublin, Kildare, Cork, and Wicklow ranked highly for renewable energy use, electric cars, and recycling, more rural regions like Wexford, Sligo, Kerry, and Roscommon featured strongly for solar power, energy efficiency and SEAI grants.
“Though switching to an electric car or making your home warmer can come with steep upfront costs, many government grants are available. Always check if you're eligible for a partial or full grant from the SEAI, so you don’t pay more than you need to.
“There are also simple, less costly ways to make your home warmer, like insulating your hot water cylinder, hanging thermal curtains, fitting draught or chimney excluders, or radiator boosters to ensure a consistent room temperature,” he added.