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 energy rating. These are the least efficient homes in the stock — they are typically older, poorly insulated, and most likely to benefit from retrofitting. A higher percentage means more homes with poor energy performance 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 indicates 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, expressed per 1,000 Census 2022 households. This measures 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 that have a BER certificate on record. This is a proxy for how much of the housing stock has actually been assessed. Low coverage means the BER metrics (% E–G, % A–B) are based on a small sample and should be interpreted 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%) because BER assessments are typically required only on sale or rental, so much of the existing stock has never been assessed.
Energy burden classification
When you select a county while viewing an energy metric, the Rankings panel shows a quadrant classification based on that county's retrofit need and delivery rate relative to all 26 counties. Each county is ranked on two axes — retrofit need (% E–G rated) and retrofit delivery (upgrades per 1,000 households) — and placed 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.
Explore energy data
Open the energy layer on the map to see BER ratings and retrofit rates across all 26 counties.