Understanding energy metrics

IrelandInsights includes four energy metrics derived from SEAI and CSO data. This guide explains what each one means, where it comes from, and how to interpret it.

% rated E–G

The share of BER-assessed homes in a county with an E, F, or G rating. These are the least efficient homes in the stock — typically older, poorly insulated, and most in need of retrofit work. A higher percentage means more poor-performing homes in that county.

% rated A–B

The share of BER-assessed homes with an A or B rating. These homes meet modern energy efficiency standards. A higher percentage shows a greater share of recently built or retrofitted homes in the assessed stock.

Upgrades per 1,000 households

The number of SEAI-supported home energy upgrades completed in 2024, per 1,000 Census 2022 households. This shows the retrofit delivery rate — how actively a county is improving its housing stock relative to its size. Source: SEAI National Retrofit Plan Full Year Report 2024.

BER coverage %

The share of Census 2022 households with a BER certificate on record. This shows how much of the housing stock has been assessed. Low coverage means the BER metrics (% E–G, % A–B) rest on a small sample — treat them with caution.

Limited (under 5%) — the sample is small; treat BER metrics as indicative only.
Moderate (5–6.9%) — reasonable coverage; county patterns are meaningful but not definitive.
Higher (7% and above) — better confidence in county-level patterns.

Coverage is low nationally — Dublin is around 2%. BER assessments are only required on sale or rental, so most of the existing stock has never been assessed.

Energy burden classification

Select a county while viewing an energy metric and the Rankings panel shows a quadrant classification. It compares that county's retrofit need and delivery rate against all 26 counties. Each county sits on two axes — retrofit need (% E–G rated) and retrofit delivery (upgrades per 1,000 households) — and falls into one of four groups:

Intervention priority — high retrofit need and below-average delivery. The gap between need and action is largest here.
Active response — high retrofit need and above-average delivery. Need is high, but the county is actively addressing it.
Strong delivery — lower retrofit need and above-average delivery. Relatively efficient stock with strong upgrade activity.
Lower priority — lower retrofit need and lower delivery. Less urgent relative to other counties.

These classifications are relative — a county ranked as lower priority still has homes that need retrofitting. The classification shows where the gap between need and action is most pronounced across the 26 counties, not an absolute standard.

Explore energy data

Open the energy layer on the map to see BER ratings and retrofit rates across all 26 counties.

E–G ratings map → Retrofit rates map BER data analysis

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