Private housing and public buildings are producing higher emissions despite a programme of energy upgrades, the Climate Change Advisory Council has warned.
Emissions from residential buildings rose 4.9 percent and emissions from commercial and public buildings increased by 7.9 percent last year, the climate council said.
The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) said the government should introduce “enhanced supports” to promote the uptake of heat pumps and roll out a programme of district heating installations.
Industrial emissions fell by 4.6 percent in 2024, but the council said this was mainly due to lower cement production.
“Ireland has not yet broken the link between production levels and emissions in the industrial sector”, the council warned.
Getting a grip on emissions from the built environment is proving tricky.
The Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council, Marie Donnelly, said it was the only sector to see emissions going in the wrong direction.
“The Built Environment is the only sector that saw emissions increase in 2024″, she said.
“Government must urgently take action to increase the availability of grants for households focussed on the uptake of heat pumps and maintain the level of grants for the installation of solar PV.
This will not only help achieve our climate targets, but it will also reduce energy costs for consumers and improve the warmth of people’s homes.”
The roll out of smart meters would help people to save money on their heating bills, but it would also likely lead to a change in “consumption patterns and reduce emissions”, she said.