Over 99% of homes built since 2020 given A-rating - CSO

Houses being built in the State are becoming much more energy efficient, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has shown, with 96 per cent of completions between 2015-2019 and 99 per cent between 2020-2022 receiving an A-rating for energy efficiency.

The CSO figures also show that of the dwellings which had a Building Energy Rating (BER) audit between 2020-2022, electricity was the main space heating fuel used (84 per cent), followed by mains gas (15 per cent).

The number of BER audits in the third quarter of the year was also 49 per cent above the same period of last year.

Kildare had the highest proportion of A-rated dwellings - accounting for 21 per cent - followed by Dublin county and Meath, both with 20 per cent, while Leitrim had the lowest at just 2 per cent.

For non-domestic buildings, the CSO found there was a 14 per cent increase in the number of BER audits between July-September this year compared to the same period of 2021.

Of those non-domestic audits conducted since 2009, just 2 per cent of buildings were awarded an A-rating, while 13 per cent were given a B and 33 per cent received a C-rating.

Schools and colleges were found to be the most energy efficient non-domestic buildings between 2009-2022, 37 per cent of which were given the top rating.