This release was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new domestic ESBN connections undertaken in April-June 2020 have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. To show the effect of this on the New dwelling Completions in quarter 2 2020 additional monthly analysis has been included in this release.
Number of new dwelling completions | ||||
Single | Scheme | Apartment | Totals | |
Quarter 2 2019 | 1,317 | 2,824 | 688 | 4,829 |
Quarter 2 2020 | 872 | 1,842 | 576 | 3,290 |
% change | -33.8% | -34.8% | -16.3% | -31.9% |
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions have had a sizable impact on the completions this quarter. There were 3,290 new dwelling completions in Q2 2020, a 31.9% decrease on the 4,829 completions in Q2 2019. This is the first quarter in which there has been a year-on-year decrease since Q3 2013.
The Q2 data for 2020 also shows that:
Figure 1a shows the impact of COVID-19 on new dwelling completions in Q2 2020. There were 402 completions in April 2020 down from 1,764 in March and representing a 72.7% fall from 1,470 in April 2019. Completions increased to 1,234 in May 2020 (a 23.0% drop from 1,602 in May 2019) and increased further to 1,654 in June 2020 (a 5.9% decrease from 1,757 in June 2019).
Month | 2019 | 2020 |
---|---|---|
Jan | 1300 | 1622 |
Feb | 1392 | 1582 |
Mar | 1561 | 1764 |
Apr | 1470 | 402 |
May | 1602 | 1234 |
Jun | 1757 | 1654 |
ESB domestic connections dataset used as primary sourceThe primary data source used for the New Dwellings Completions series is the ESB Networks new domestic connections dataset where the date that the connection is energised determines the date of completion. It is accepted that the ESB domestic connections dataset is overestimating new dwellings and the CSO has adjusted for this overcount by using additional information from the ESB and other data sources. ESB connections are classified into four categories: new dwelling completions, UFHDs (previously finished houses in UnFinished Housing Developments), reconnections and non-dwellings. The dwelling type (single, scheme, apartment) and urban-rural divide is defined by the ESB Network. See Background Notes and Methodology for a more detailed discussion of the classification. The New Dwelling Completions series is based on the number of domestic dwellings connected by the ESB Network to the electricity supply and may not accord precisely with Local Authority or Eircode Routing Key boundaries. The CSO has utilised other available data sources to validate and enhance the ESB connections dataset. However, this was only possible where the connections dataset could be confidently linked to another dataset using unique identifiers or by address matching. As the level of Eircode collection, coverage and storage increases across data sources in the housing sector, it is expected that the precision of estimates on new dwelling completions can be further enhanced. Student accommodationThere has been a significant level of construction output in the student accommodation sector. These are generally connected to the ESB Network as commercial connections and are therefore not included in the ESB domestic connections dataset and have also not been included in ESB connections released by DHPLG. The data available on this sector is on a “bed space” basis and it is not currently possible to report on it as dwellings, which are self-contained units of living accommodation. Based on consultation with stakeholders in this sector, student accommodation may be included in future New Dwelling Completions reports as a separate category. There were 793 bed spaces completed in the student accommodation sector in Q2 2020. Total completed bed spaces since Q2 2016 now total 9,439. |
The ESB domestic connections dataset provides information on the type of connection and whether it is in an urban or rural area. Figure 2 below shows that in Q2 2020, 76.5% of new dwelling completions were in urban areas with 23.5% being in rural areas. This compares to 76.7% urban and 23.3% rural in Q2 2019. See Table 2.
Urban | Rural | |
Q1 2016 | 1413 | 565 |
Q2 2016 | 1659 | 737 |
Q3 2016 | 1675 | 812 |
Q4 2016 | 2120 | 905 |
Q1 2017 | 2060 | 704 |
Q2 2017 | 2417 | 848 |
Q3 2017 | 2830 | 937 |
Q4 2017 | 3582 | 975 |
Q1 2018 | 2669 | 798 |
Q2 2018 | 3430 | 969 |
Q3 2018 | 3643 | 992 |
Q4 2018 | 4306 | 1137 |
Q1 2019 | 3363 | 890 |
Q2 2019 | 3705 | 1124 |
Q3 2019 | 4601 | 1060 |
Q4 2019 | 5214 | 1176 |
Q1 2020 | 4038 | 930 |
Q2 2020 | 2517 | 773 |
The number of new dwelling completions was highest for Q2 2020 in the Mid-East with 941 followed by 840 in Dublin. Together these regions contain 54.1% of completions in the quarter. The next highest region was the South-West where there were 396 completions (12.0%). The largest percentage year-on-year decrease of completions was in Dublin where there was 43.5% fewer completions than in Q2 2019.
Most apartments completed are still in Dublin with 67.7% (390) of the 576 apartments completed this quarter in the four Dublin local authorities with 220 in Dublin City alone (38.2% of national apartment completions). Of all completions in Dublin, 46.4% were apartments. In Dublin City this proportion rises to 83.0%.
The Mid-East region accounts for 43.4% (799) of the total scheme dwellings in Q2 2020. Only the four counties in the Mid-East (Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow) and Fingal and South Dublin had more than 100 scheme dwelling completions in this quarter.
The West region had the highest number of single dwelling completions in the quarter (146) followed closely by the South-West (142). Cork County (94) was the county with the most single dwellings completed in Q2 2020. See Table 3.
Classification into local authorities has taken into account boundary changes between Cork City and Cork County which came into effect in May 2019. All historical data within the tables below and the Statbank interactive tables has been revised to now be based on the new boundaries. However, data within archived releases has stayed as is. |
Figure 3 shows the number of new dwelling completions at Eircode Routing Key level for Q2 2020. The Eircode area with the highest number of new dwelling completions was A92 'Drogheda' (190 completions) followed by D13 'Dublin 13' (153) and W91 'Naas' (139). Of the Eircode Routing Keys areas with the ten most new dwelling completions in the quarter, seven are in Dublin and its commuter belt, with H91 'Galway' (103), A91 'Dundalk' (89) and V94 'Limerick' (80) the exceptions. These 10 areas account for 35% of all new dwelling completions in Q2 2020.
Total domestic ESB connections in Q2 2020 totalled 3,890, a decrease of 32.8% on Q2 2019. The ESB domestic connections series shows a comparable trend to the NDC series compiled by the CSO as shown in Figure 4, with the two figures getting closer over recent years. The number of new dwelling completions as a percentage of total ESB domestic connections has increased significantly over the last five years, from a low of 52.1% in Q1 2015 to 84.6% in Q2 2020.
There is still a noticeable difference in volume between the two series. The starting point for the NDC series is the ESB domestic connections dataset, with adjustments made to account for previously finished houses in unfinished housing developments (UFHDs), reconnections and non-dwellings as shown in Figure 5 and Table 4.
New dwelling completions | ESB connections | |
Q1 2016 | 1978 | 3150 |
Q2 2016 | 2396 | 3486 |
Q3 2016 | 2487 | 3874 |
Q4 2016 | 3025 | 4413 |
Q1 2017 | 2764 | 3902 |
Q2 2017 | 3265 | 4566 |
Q3 2017 | 3767 | 4991 |
Q4 2017 | 4557 | 5726 |
Q1 2018 | 3467 | 4457 |
Q2 2018 | 4399 | 5460 |
Q3 2018 | 4635 | 5739 |
Q4 2018 | 5443 | 6729 |
Q1 2019 | 4253 | 5279 |
Q2 2019 | 4829 | 5787 |
Q3 2019 | 5661 | 6679 |
Q4 2019 | 6390 | 7514 |
Q1 2020 | 4968 | 5919 |
Q2 2020 | 3290 | 3890 |
The number of previously finished dwellings in unfinished housing developments (UFHDs) declined at a greater rate than the new dwelling completions this quarter, decreasing 54.1% from 148 in Q2 2019 to 68 in Q2 2020. This is the lowest this has been since the series began and represents a drop of 90.5% from the peak in Q3 2014 when 716 UFHDs were connected to the ESB Network. UFHDs make up just 1.7% of all ESB domestic connections now compared to 21.7% at the peak in 2014. A property which is reconnected to the ESB Network after having been disconnected for more than two years is assigned a new MPRN and is therefore included in the ESB connections datasets. The number of reconnections was down 41.0% to 363 in Q2 2020 from 615 in Q2 2019. The number of non-dwellings has dropped by 13.3% from 195 in Q2 2019 to 169 in Q2 2020. See Figure 5 and Table 4.
UFHD | Reconnection | Non-dwelling | |
Q1 2016 | 497 | 478 | 197 |
Q2 2016 | 363 | 518 | 209 |
Q3 2016 | 559 | 629 | 199 |
Q4 2016 | 437 | 709 | 242 |
Q1 2017 | 368 | 550 | 220 |
Q2 2017 | 414 | 649 | 238 |
Q3 2017 | 320 | 684 | 220 |
Q4 2017 | 261 | 627 | 281 |
Q1 2018 | 207 | 566 | 217 |
Q2 2018 | 179 | 645 | 237 |
Q3 2018 | 184 | 701 | 219 |
Q4 2018 | 307 | 740 | 239 |
Q1 2019 | 176 | 589 | 261 |
Q2 2019 | 148 | 615 | 195 |
Q3 2019 | 185 | 615 | 218 |
Q4 2019 | 207 | 731 | 186 |
Q1 2020 | 120 | 587 | 244 |
Q2 2020 | 68 | 363 | 169 |
Table 5 shows the type of ESB connection by NUTS3 region in Q2 2020. The Border region has the highest number of reconnections (59) with the most UFHDs in the midland (23). Dublin has the highest proportion of connections being new dwelling completions (94.9%) with the Border region having the lowest (68.2%).
Figure 6 shows that the average new dwelling size is continuing to fall year on year and fell by 4.5% in the first half of 2020 from 2019. The decline in the average new dwelling size index in 2020 is due to an increase in the proportion of completed dwellings being apartments and a decrease in the size of single dwellings (see Table 6). The average new dwelling size index is obtained by linking ESB connections to BER assessment data from the SEAI for new dwelling completions (see Table 7 in Background Notes and Methodology for match rates).
Index (2016 = 100) | |
2011 | 113.622492099584 |
2012 | 117.842587070316 |
2013 | 117.460458940875 |
2014 | 107.481498906457 |
2015 | 103.227835753755 |
2016 | 100 |
2017 | 91.516387776208 |
2018 | 88.8640228159645 |
2019 | 84.6897289955108 |
2020* | 80.9002024485693 |
Table 1: New dwelling completions by type of dwelling, 2011 - Q2 2020 | |||||
Period | Single | Scheme | Apartment | Total | |
2011 | Q1 | 1,156 | 447 | 272 | 1,875 |
2011 | Q2 | 1,194 | 380 | 217 | 1,791 |
2011 | Q3 | 1,197 | 305 | 185 | 1,687 |
2011 | Q4 | 1,267 | 226 | 148 | 1,641 |
Year | 4,814 | 1,358 | 822 | 6,994 | |
2012 | Q1 | 797 | 211 | 123 | 1,131 |
2012 | Q2 | 847 | 194 | 76 | 1,117 |
2012 | Q3 | 868 | 244 | 93 | 1,205 |
2012 | Q4 | 989 | 315 | 154 | 1,458 |
Year | 3,501 | 964 | 446 | 4,911 | |
2013 | Q1 | 638 | 174 | 77 | 889 |
2013 | Q2 | 721 | 281 | 144 | 1,146 |
2013 | Q3 | 727 | 267 | 39 | 1,033 |
2013 | Q4 | 861 | 433 | 213 | 1,507 |
Year | 2,947 | 1,155 | 473 | 4,575 | |
2014 | Q1 | 625 | 309 | 160 | 1,094 |
2014 | Q2 | 712 | 365 | 241 | 1,318 |
2014 | Q3 | 728 | 506 | 170 | 1,404 |
2014 | Q4 | 910 | 615 | 177 | 1,702 |
Year | 2,975 | 1,795 | 748 | 5,518 | |
2015 | Q1 | 659 | 606 | 106 | 1,371 |
2015 | Q2 | 735 | 674 | 161 | 1,570 |
2015 | Q3 | 879 | 899 | 255 | 2,033 |
2015 | Q4 | 979 | 1,115 | 151 | 2,245 |
Year | 3,252 | 3,294 | 673 | 7,219 | |
2016 | Q1 | 699 | 939 | 340 | 1,978 |
2016 | Q2 | 888 | 1,256 | 252 | 2,396 |
2016 | Q3 | 978 | 1,223 | 286 | 2,487 |
2016 | Q4 | 1,092 | 1,650 | 283 | 3,025 |
Year | 3,657 | 5,068 | 1,161 | 9,886 | |
2017 | Q1 | 870 | 1,417 | 477 | 2,764 |
2017 | Q2 | 1,030 | 1,780 | 455 | 3,265 |
2017 | Q3 | 1,125 | 2,001 | 641 | 3,767 |
2017 | Q4 | 1,225 | 2,688 | 644 | 4,557 |
Year | 4,250 | 7,886 | 2,217 | 14,353 | |
2018 | Q1 | 969 | 2,022 | 476 | 3,467 |
2018 | Q2 | 1,151 | 2,762 | 486 | 4,399 |
2018 | Q3 | 1,208 | 2,834 | 593 | 4,635 |
2018 | Q4 | 1,354 | 3,364 | 725 | 5,443 |
Year | 4,682 | 10,982 | 2,280 | 17,944 | |
2019 | Q1 | 1,089 | 2,568 | 596 | 4,253 |
2019 | Q2 | 1,317 | 2,824 | 688 | 4,829 |
2019 | Q3 | 1,272 | 3,315 | 1,074 | 5,661 |
2019 | Q4 | 1,389 | 3,809 | 1,192 | 6,390 |
Year | 5,067 | 12,516 | 3,550 | 21,133 | |
2020 | Q1 | 1,094 | 2,837 | 1,037 | 4,968 |
2020 | Q2 | 872 | 1,842 | 576 | 3,290 |
Table 2: New dwelling completions by urban-rural divide, 2011 - Q2 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
Period | Urban | Rural | Total | ||||||||||||||||
2011 | Q1 | 841 | 1,033 | 1,874 | |||||||||||||||
2011 | Q2 | 706 | 1,081 | 1,787 | |||||||||||||||
2011 | Q3 | 602 | 1,085 | 1,687 | |||||||||||||||
2011 | Q4 | 489 | 1,152 | 1,641 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 2,638 | 4,351 | 6,989 | ||||||||||||||||
2012 | Q1 | 415 | 716 | 1,131 | |||||||||||||||
2012 | Q2 | 368 | 749 | 1,117 | |||||||||||||||
2012 | Q3 | 425 | 778 | 1,203 | |||||||||||||||
2012 | Q4 | 602 | 854 | 1,456 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 1,810 | 3,097 | 4,907 | ||||||||||||||||
2013 | Q1 | 329 | 560 | 889 | |||||||||||||||
2013 | Q2 | 534 | 611 | 1,145 | |||||||||||||||
2013 | Q3 | 398 | 635 | 1,033 | |||||||||||||||
2013 | Q4 | 774 | 733 | 1,507 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 2,035 | 2,539 | 4,574 | ||||||||||||||||
2014 | Q1 | 540 | 554 | 1,094 | |||||||||||||||
2014 | Q2 | 716 | 602 | 1,318 | |||||||||||||||
2014 | Q3 | 795 | 609 | 1,404 | |||||||||||||||
2014 | Q4 | 912 | 790 | 1,702 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 2,963 | 2,555 | 5,518 | ||||||||||||||||
2015 | Q1 | 832 | 539 | 1,371 | |||||||||||||||
2015 | Q2 | 952 | 618 | 1,570 | |||||||||||||||
2015 | Q3 | 1,281 | 751 | 2,032 | |||||||||||||||
2015 | Q4 | 1,420 | 824 | 2,244 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 4,485 | 2,732 | 7,217 | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | Q1 | 1,413 | 565 | 1,978 | |||||||||||||||
2016 | Q2 | 1,659 | 737 | 2,396 | |||||||||||||||
2016 | Q3 | 1,675 | 812 | 2,487 | |||||||||||||||
2016 | Q4 | 2,120 | 905 | 3,025 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 6,867 | 3,019 | 9,886 | ||||||||||||||||
2017 | Q1 | 2,060 | 704 | 2,764 | |||||||||||||||
2017 | Q2 | 2,417 | 848 | 3,265 | |||||||||||||||
2017 | Q3 | 2,830 | 937 | 3,767 | |||||||||||||||
2017 | Q4 | 3,582 | 975 | 4,557 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 10,889 | 3,464 | 14,353 | ||||||||||||||||
2018 | Q1 | 2,669 | 798 | 3,467 | |||||||||||||||
2018 | Q2 | 3,430 | 969 | 4,399 | |||||||||||||||
2018 | Q3 | 3,643 | 992 | 4,635 | |||||||||||||||
2018 | Q4 | 4,306 | 1,137 | 5,443 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 14,048 | 3,896 | 17,944 | ||||||||||||||||
2019 | Q1 | 3,363 | 890 | 4,253 | |||||||||||||||
2019 | Q2 | 3,705 | 1,124 | 4,829 | |||||||||||||||
2019 | Q3 | 4,601 | 1,060 | 5,661 | |||||||||||||||
2019 | Q4 | 5,214 | 1,176 | 6,390 | |||||||||||||||
Year | 16,883 | 4,250 | 21,133 | ||||||||||||||||
2020 | Q1 | 4,038 | 930 | 4,968 | |||||||||||||||
2020 | Q2 | 2,517 | 773 | 3,290 |
Table 3: New dwelling completions by type of dwelling and Local Authority - Q2 2020 | ||||
Local Authority | Single | Scheme | Apartment | Total - Q2 2020 |
Border | 124 | 42 | 16 | 182 |
Cavan | 23 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
Donegal | 53 | 31 | 16 | 100 |
Leitrim | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Monaghan | 32 | 1 | 0 | 33 |
Sligo | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
West | 146 | 97 | 13 | 256 |
Galway City | 1 | 30 | 0 | 31 |
Galway County | 91 | 36 | 5 | 132 |
Mayo | 30 | 18 | 8 | 56 |
Roscommon | 24 | 13 | 0 | 37 |
Mid-West | 118 | 71 | 30 | 219 |
Clare | 54 | 13 | 10 | 77 |
Limerick | 29 | 33 | 19 | 81 |
Tipperary | 35 | 25 | 1 | 61 |
South-East | 115 | 154 | 32 | 301 |
Carlow | 11 | 30 | 0 | 41 |
Kilkenny | 29 | 38 | 0 | 67 |
Waterford | 19 | 43 | 23 | 85 |
Wexford | 56 | 43 | 9 | 108 |
South-West | 142 | 199 | 55 | 396 |
Cork City | 9 | 92 | 39 | 140 |
Cork County | 94 | 88 | 13 | 195 |
Kerry | 39 | 19 | 3 | 61 |
Dublin | 31 | 419 | 390 | 840 |
Dublin City | 10 | 35 | 220 | 265 |
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown | 5 | 59 | 38 | 102 |
Fingal | 9 | 205 | 94 | 308 |
South Dublin | 7 | 120 | 38 | 165 |
Mid-East | 114 | 799 | 28 | 941 |
Louth | 19 | 154 | 14 | 187 |
Kildare | 30 | 247 | 0 | 277 |
Meath | 53 | 241 | 14 | 308 |
Wicklow | 12 | 157 | 0 | 169 |
Midlands | 82 | 61 | 12 | 155 |
Laois | 24 | 30 | 2 | 56 |
Longford | 15 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
Offaly | 17 | 6 | 1 | 24 |
Westmeath | 26 | 24 | 8 | 58 |
Note: Local Authority based on substation of dwelling where available |
Table 4: ESB by Type of connection, 2011 - Q2 2020 | ||||||
Period | NDC | UFHD | Reconnection | Non-Dwelling | Total | |
2011 | Q1 | 1,875 | 383 | 241 | 205 | 2,704 |
2011 | Q2 | 1,791 | 331 | 224 | 209 | 2,555 |
2011 | Q3 | 1,687 | 326 | 299 | 195 | 2,507 |
2011 | Q4 | 1,641 | 338 | 326 | 218 | 2,523 |
Year | 6,994 | 1,378 | 1,090 | 827 | 10,289 | |
2012 | Q1 | 1,131 | 278 | 302 | 179 | 1,890 |
2012 | Q2 | 1,117 | 357 | 294 | 196 | 1,964 |
2012 | Q3 | 1,205 | 431 | 271 | 163 | 2,070 |
2012 | Q4 | 1,458 | 385 | 393 | 185 | 2,421 |
Year | 4,911 | 1,451 | 1,260 | 723 | 8,345 | |
2013 | Q1 | 889 | 354 | 280 | 156 | 1,679 |
2013 | Q2 | 1,146 | 323 | 347 | 161 | 1,977 |
2013 | Q3 | 1,033 | 393 | 392 | 144 | 1,962 |
2013 | Q4 | 1,507 | 436 | 454 | 192 | 2,589 |
Year | 4,575 | 1,506 | 1,473 | 653 | 8,207 | |
2014 | Q1 | 1,094 | 422 | 398 | 165 | 2,079 |
2014 | Q2 | 1,318 | 627 | 560 | 215 | 2,720 |
2014 | Q3 | 1,404 | 716 | 649 | 163 | 2,932 |
2014 | Q4 | 1,702 | 603 | 683 | 210 | 3,198 |
Year | 5,518 | 2,368 | 2,290 | 753 | 10,929 | |
2015 | Q1 | 1,371 | 342 | 742 | 179 | 2,634 |
2015 | Q2 | 1,570 | 453 | 746 | 210 | 2,979 |
2015 | Q3 | 2,033 | 384 | 670 | 194 | 3,281 |
2015 | Q4 | 2,245 | 492 | 730 | 262 | 3,729 |
Year | 7,219 | 1,671 | 2,888 | 845 | 12,623 | |
2016 | Q1 | 1,978 | 497 | 478 | 197 | 3,150 |
2016 | Q2 | 2,396 | 363 | 518 | 209 | 3,486 |
2016 | Q3 | 2,487 | 559 | 629 | 199 | 3,874 |
2016 | Q4 | 3,025 | 437 | 709 | 242 | 4,413 |
Year | 9,886 | 1,856 | 2,334 | 847 | 14,923 | |
2017 | Q1 | 2,764 | 368 | 550 | 220 | 3,902 |
2017 | Q2 | 3,265 | 414 | 649 | 238 | 4,566 |
2017 | Q3 | 3,767 | 320 | 684 | 220 | 4,991 |
2017 | Q4 | 4,557 | 261 | 627 | 281 | 5,726 |
Year | 14,353 | 1,363 | 2,510 | 959 | 19,185 | |
2018 | Q1 | 3,467 | 207 | 566 | 217 | 4,457 |
2018 | Q2 | 4,399 | 179 | 645 | 237 | 5,460 |
2018 | Q3 | 4,635 | 184 | 701 | 219 | 5,739 |
2018 | Q4 | 5,443 | 307 | 740 | 239 | 6,729 |
Year | 17,944 | 877 | 2,652 | 912 | 22,385 | |
2019 | Q1 | 4,253 | 176 | 589 | 261 | 5,279 |
2019 | Q2 | 4,829 | 148 | 615 | 195 | 5,787 |
2019 | Q3 | 5,661 | 185 | 615 | 218 | 6,679 |
2019 | Q4 | 6,390 | 207 | 731 | 186 | 7,514 |
Year | 21,133 | 716 | 2,550 | 860 | 25,259 | |
2020 | Q1 | 4,968 | 120 | 587 | 244 | 5,919 |
2020 | Q2 | 3,290 | 68 | 363 | 169 | 3,890 |
Table 5: ESB by type of connection and NUTS3, Q2 2020 | |||||
Region | New dwelling completions | UFHD | Reconnection | Non-Dwelling | Total ESB connections |
Border | 182 | 4 | 59 | 22 | 267 |
Dublin | 840 | 9 | 27 | 9 | 885 |
Mid-East | 941 | 5 | 45 | 29 | 1,020 |
Midlands | 155 | 23 | 32 | 12 | 222 |
Mid-West | 219 | 3 | 40 | 29 | 291 |
South-East | 301 | 8 | 47 | 26 | 382 |
South-West | 396 | 11 | 60 | 19 | 486 |
West | 256 | 5 | 53 | 23 | 337 |
Total regions | 3,290 | 68 | 363 | 169 | 3,890 |
Note: NUTS3 region based on substation of dwelling where available |
Table 6: New dwelling completions by average floor size, 2011 - Q2 2020 | ||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Q1-Q2 2020 | |
Estimated weight in mix (%) | ||||||||||
Single | 69% | 71% | 64% | 54% | 45% | 37% | 30% | 26% | 24% | 24% |
Scheme | 19% | 20% | 25% | 33% | 46% | 51% | 55% | 61% | 59% | 57% |
Apartment | 12% | 9% | 10% | 14% | 9% | 12% | 15% | 13% | 17% | 20% |
Estimated average size of dwelling (sqm) | ||||||||||
Single | 228 | 231 | 238 | 223 | 219 | 232 | 226 | 221 | 218 | 204 |
Scheme | 107 | 115 | 125 | 142 | 137 | 135 | 129 | 127 | 122 | 120 |
Apartment | 73 | 68 | 77 | 75 | 84 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 82 |
Average dwelling size (sqm) | 186.4 | 193.3 | 192.7 | 176.3 | 169.3 | 164.1 | 150.1 | 145.8 | 138.9 | 132.7 |
Average dwelling size index (2016 = 100) | 114 | 118 | 117 | 107 | 103 | 100 | 92 | 89 | 85 | 81 |
% change | 3.7% | -0.3% | -8.5% | -4.0% | -3.1% | -8.5% | -2.9% | -4.7% | -4.5% |
The New Dwelling Completions series is produced by the CSO on a quarterly basis. A Housing Analytics Group (HAG) was established in 2017 by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG). This group, which met for the first time in May 2017, consists of representatives of bodies with a significant interest and role in housing, housing policy and related policy areas.
The HAG focused on a review of housing related data published nationally and in particular on the number of dwellings built every year. Arising from the work of this group and other direct discussions between the CSO and DHPLG, a significant outcome was to assess the suitability of current housing indicators for estimating the number of new dwelling completions in Ireland.
Historically, the number of new dwellings built in Ireland, as published by the DHPLG, was based on the number of connections to the ESB Network. However, in recent years it became apparent that this series was overestimating the levels of new dwelling construction in Ireland. The New Dwelling Completions series will look to replace this and other available indicators of housing activity in Ireland. This series will include information on dwelling type, urban/rural location, activity by Local Authority and by Eircode Routing Key. It will continue to be based on domestic ESB connections but will correct for over-coverage by using additional information from ESB Networks and incorporating data from other sources. It also includes data on the number of reconnections and on houses from unfinished housing developments that are coming back into use. This will provide policy-makers with a valuable insight into the number of new dwellings available for occupation in the quarterly period concerned and also show data on the numbers of dwellings being constructed.
The New Dwelling Completions data series is based on the number of new dwellings connected by the ESB Network to the electricity supply and may not accord precisely with Local Authority or Eircode Routing Key boundaries. The NDC series is split into counties and Eircode Routing Keys based on the information of the substation rather than the exact location of the dwelling. As Eircode becomes available as the unique identifier, it will replace the source of identifying the location of a new dwelling.
The breakdown of ESB connections by type of connection and dwelling is based on NUTS3 regions as described below:
ESB connections are classified into four categories:
The dwelling type is defined by the ESB Network and classified into three categories:
The classification of urban and rural dwellings is also defined by the ESB Network and based on the Distribution Use of System (DUoS) tariff, which is a fee that ESB Networks charge Electricity Suppliers for use of the Electricity Distribution System3.
Only domestic connections where a dwelling is a self-contained unit of living accommodation is included in the New Dwelling Completions series. Commercial properties, shared and communal living arrangements are excluded.
The New Dwelling Completions series is a new statistical product compiled from third party data sources. The series will be revised on an ongoing basis as more timely and accurate data sources become available and these data sources can be matched to the ESB new connections data set. BER Assessment data is used to validate the status of New Dwelling Completions, reconnections, UFHDs and non-dwellings. This will result in regular revisions to previous quarters due to the time lag between ESB connections and BER assessment. Historical data within the current release and statbank interactive tables are impacted by revisions but data within archived releases has not been revised.
The primary data source used for the New Dwellings Completions series is the ESB domestic connections dataset where the date that the connection is energised determines the date of completion. It is accepted that the ESB domestic connections dataset overestimates new dwellings and the CSO has adjusted for this overcount by using additional information from the ESB and other data sources. The ESB domestic connections dataset is matched by the CSO to Building Energy Rating (BER) data, compiled by the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI). Under Statutory Instrument (S.I.) No. 243 of 2012, all residential property for sale must disclose their BER assessment (with some very minor exceptions). The BER includes detailed information on the type of dwelling, the type of certificate (Provisional, Final, Existing) as well as the date of assessment and construction. As the collection, storage and maintenance of Eircode improves, other data sources can be further consulted to improve on the accuracy of the series.
The average new dwelling size index is based on measurements of the total floor area recorded by a BER Assessor in accordance with the BER Regulations, the BER Assessor's Code of Practice and all other directions issued by the SEAI4. As an MPRN, the unique identifier for an ESB connection, is required for the BER certification process it is possible to link new housing completions data to BER certificates to produce the index. The match rate between new dwelling completions and BER certificates is consistently highest among scheme dwellings. Table 7 shows the percentage of new dwelling completions that can be matched to a BER certificate by dwelling type and year. Between 2015 and 2019, approximately nine out of ten scheme dwellings had a BER certificate compared to less than one in five single dwellings. The match rate for apartments has increased in recent years to stand at 68% in 2019
Table 7: New dwelling completions and BER match rate, 2011 - Q2 2020 | ||||
Period | Single | Scheme | Apartment | Overall match rate |
2011 | 14% | 72% | 45% | 29% |
2012 | 14% | 79% | 28% | 28% |
2013 | 14% | 80% | 45% | 34% |
2014 | 14% | 87% | 61% | 44% |
2015 | 19% | 89% | 27% | 52% |
2016 | 22% | 89% | 50% | 60% |
2017 | 22% | 94% | 68% | 68% |
2018 | 19% | 93% | 65% | 70% |
2019 | 17% | 92% | 70% | 71% |
Q1-Q2 2020 | 4% | 69% | 50% | 50% |
while the time lag between connection to the esb network and ber assessment can explain missing ber certificates, the data in table 7 indicates that there are additional factors at play for single dwellings and apartments.
the low match rate for single dwellings is due to the large number of self builds where dwellings are not intended for sale or rent, similarly the low match rate for apartments can be explained by dwellings not intended for sale. these include conversions from single dwellings as well as social housing and developments in the build-to-rent sector. such developments will often have a range of provisional ber certificates or a partial number of bers for the development without having a final ber for all properties.
3 rules for application of duos tariff group: https://www.esbnetworks.ie/docs/default-source/publications/rules-for-application-of-duos-tariff-group.pdf?sfvrsn=a44b33f0_4
4 ber assessor support: https://www.seai.ie/home-energy/building-energy-rating-ber/support-for-ber-assessors/domestic-ber-resources/
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