EY energy and infrastructure consulting leader Sean Casey. Image: EY
A report from EY Ireland suggests most Irish consumers can’t handle an increase to their energy bills and that supports are needed to help more households use cleaner energy.
Companies and consumers are focusing on ways to become more sustainable, but the economic issues of recent years may slow down the transition to green energy.
That’s according to a new report from EY Ireland, which suggests that most Irish consumers (78pc) feel they are doing as much as they can to be sustainable. This report also suggests that nearly 70pc of consumers can’t absorb a 10pc increase to their energy bills.
EY Ireland surveyed 23,000 residential energy consumers across 21 countries to make it report on consumer insights and the survey included more than 1,000 people in Ireland. The report found that 57pc of these Irish consumers feel energy providers and the Irish Government should take the leading role when it comes to shifting to green energy sources.
EY energy and infrastructure consulting leader Sean Casey said the survey results are “not surprising” as recent years saw a combination of rising energy prices and cost-of-living challenges impact consumers.
“Our research finds that the majority of Irish consumers say that they’ve already done everything they can, with only three in 10 feeling they can do more to be more sustainable,” Casey said. “This presents a significant challenge as we move into the next critical phase of meeting our ambitious but essential climate change commitments.
“While efforts on the supply side from producers are gaining momentum, with record renewable energy generation on the grid, we need an even more fundamental shift in how we engage and encourage sustainable energy consumption behaviours.”
But Casey said that – as energy prices have declined compared to the spikes witnessed in 2022 and 2023 – there is now a “window of opportunity” to promote and incentivise sustainable energy behaviours “at a household level”, but said a broad range of supports are required.
“These supports are in such areas as renewable energy solutions for the home, electric vehicles and simply how consumers use energy every day,” Casey said. “Closing the gap between their interest and action will depend on energy providers, [the] Government and the broader energy ecosystem working together to pull every lever available.”
Ireland has been making some advances in its renewable energy targets, but there is still a long way to go to hit the country’s climate goals. Earlier this week, Energia Group veteran David Macartney gave insights into the key challenges ahead for Ireland’s energy grid and the need for more women engineers.
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