Household fuel expenditure and residential building energy efficiency ratings in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin 2015/1/1

Curtis, John and Pentecost, Anne (2015) Household fuel expenditure and residential building energy efficiency ratings in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin 2015/1/1. UNSPECIFIED.

PDF - Published Version Download (438Kb)

Abstract

Residential building energy rating (BER) labels indicate a theoretical energy use based on standardised assumptions about occupancy and energy service demand and are a market signal about the energy performance of a property. BER labels explicitly state the energy demand required for heating, lighting and ventilation within a property, for example, a 'B2' BER rating is associated an annual primary energy demand of 100-125 kWh/m2 year. Movements along the BER rating scale are associated with changes in energy demand and implicit changes in energy costs. This paper uses household energy expenditure data and quantifies the level of energy expenditure associated with properties by BER scale. As expected we find that families living in properties with better BER ratings spend less on energy, ceteris paribus, but proportionate cost savings are substantially less than the energy use savings implicit in the BER scale.

Actions (login required)