This ESRI report is going to make that task all the harder by creating a public narrative that retrofitting is failing – or makes little difference even when you get it done. While you can never be complacent, the reality is that deep retrofitting of our domestic buildings increased tenfold between 2019 and 2024. The latest review for the European Commission puts us as the number one country in Europe when it comes to improving domestic energy efficiency levels. It will be a shame if the ESRI report undermines that. More than half of the roughly €1 billion in revenue being raised is going back to the public as retrofitting grants.

Source: The Irish Times March 24, 2026 10:30 UTC