Pulse Survey now running Five years on, we're measuring the lasting impact of COVID-19 on our lives in our latest short Pulse Survey. CSO Pulse Surveys are anonymous and open to all. #CSOTakePart
The figures for 2021 may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A and B rated dwellings used 42 kilowatt hours of electricity per square metre in 2021 compared with 79 kWh per square metre for D and for E and 67 kWh per square metre for F and G rated dwellings (see Tables A and 5B).
The mean electricity consumption in 2021 for dwellings built in 2005-2021 was 48 kWh per square metre which was around two-thirds of the figure for dwellings built in 2000-2004 of 75 kWh per square metre (see Table 5C).
Mean electricity consumption decreased in 2021 compared with 2020 for apartments and mid-terrace houses but it increased for end-of-terrace houses, semi-detached houses and detached houses (see Table 2A).
A detached house used 8,039 kWh of electricity in 2021 which was 70% higher than the corresponding mean electricity consumption for a mid-terrace house (see Table 2A).
More energy-efficient dwellings had more floor area. A and B rated detached houses had an average of 230 square metres compared with an average of 89 square metres for detached houses with an F or G rating (see Table 4A).
| Mean Electricity Consumption | |
| A/B | 5.945 |
| C | 5.709 |
| D | 5.633 |
| E | 5.336 |
| F/G | 4.378 |
| Apartment | 5.16 |
| House (mid-terrace) | 4.74 |
| House (end-of-terrace) | 4.988 |
| House (semi-detached) | 5.104 |
| House (detached) | 8.039 |
| A/B | F/G | |
| Apartments | 74 | 47 |
| Detached Houses | 230 | 89 |
| Table A Mean Electricity Consumption per square metre by Year and Energy Rating 2021 | |||||
| Mean kilowatt hours per square metre | |||||
| Year | A/B | C | D | E | F/G |
| 2015 | 38 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 64 |
| 2016 | 36 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 63 |
| 2017 | 35 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 64 |
| 2018 | 38 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 67 |
| 2019 | 35 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 63 |
| 2020 | 40 | 77 | 80 | 81 | 68 |
| 2021 | 42 | 75 | 79 | 79 | 67 |
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
Commenting on the release Dympna Corry, Statistician in the Environment and Climate Division, said: "The Central Statistics Office (CSO) receives and publishes data on Metered Electricity Consumption and Domestic Building Energy Ratings. This is the first time the CSO has combined these two datasets. The release complements a CSO release that examines how metered gas consumption varied by type of dwelling. This analysis examined households that had a BER and used electricity as their main space heating fuel.
Dwellings with better energy ratings used less electricity per square metre of dwelling floor area. Average electricity consumption per square metre in 2021 varied from: 42 kWh for A and B rated dwellings; 75 kWh for C rated dwellings; 79 kWh for D rated dwellings; 79 kWh for E rated dwellings; and 67 kWh per square metre for F or G rated dwellings (see Table 5B). These figures are well below the average gas consumption per square metre reflecting that electricity is used less than gas as a main space heating fuel.
The mean electricity consumption per square metre in 2021 was lower for newer dwellings. The mean electricity consumption in 2021 for dwellings built in 2005-2021 was 48 kWh per square metre compared with 75 kWh per square metre for dwellings built in 2000-2004 (see Table 5C).
The mean electricity consumption was lower in 2021 than in 2020 for apartments (-3.1%) and mid-terrace houses (-1.6%), and higher for end-of-terrace (1.6%), semi-detached (2.6%), and detached houses (6.2%) (see Table 2A).
Average electricity consumption per dwelling varied considerably more by household type than by energy efficiency rating. The mean electricity consumption by detached houses was 8,039 kWh in 2021. This was 70% higher than the mean electricity consumption by mid-terrace houses of 4,740 kWh (see Table 2A).
Dwellings with A and B ratings had a larger floor area. Detached houses with an A or B rating had an average floor area of 230 square metres compared with 89 square metres for detached houses with an F or G rating. This trend of larger floor areas for more energy-efficient dwellings was evident for all household types (see Table 4A).
Looking at the data, A and B rated dwellings consumed more electricity than F and G rated dwellings. In 2021, A and B rated dwellings used a mean electricity consumption of 5,945 kWh compared with 5,709 kWh for C rated dwellings, 5,633 kWh for D rated dwellings, 5,336 kWh for E rated dwellings, and 4,378 kWh for F and G rated dwellings (see Table 2B).
F and G energy-rated dwellings had the lowest mean electricity consumption figure in 2021 indicating that factors other than energy ratings - such as disposable income, whether the house was adequately heated, and use of secondary heating fuels - may have had an impact."