- Cork is the 6th most eco-friendly home in Ireland and excelled in many areas, including household recycling and solar panel installation.
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In 2024, Cork saw a 17% jump in solar panel installations and a 30% increase in homes with BER ratings of B2 or higher.
- Wicklow was crowned the county with the most eco-friendly homes in Ireland for the second year running.
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Homes with a BER rating of B2 or above grew by 33% nationwide (70,000 properties in 2024 compared to 2023).
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Solar panel installations rose by 28% nationwide (6,431 in 2024, compared to 2023).
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Wicklow, Meath, Galway, Louth, Wexford, Cork, Kildare, Dublin, Kerry, and Mayo were the top ten counties with the most sustainable homes.
The latest research by Switcher revealed Cork is the 6th most eco-friendly county in Ireland.
As more households take advantage of government grants and prioritise warmer, more energy-efficient homes, Switcher’s study ‘Ireland’s Greenest Homes’ analyses and ranks the counties with the most sustainable houses in Ireland.
Cork earned a place in the top 10 as one of the counties with the greenest homes in the country. It enjoyed the fourth best recycling rates, a commendable number of solar panel installations, and high BER ratings.
In 2024, the county saw a 17% jump in solar panel installation, and a 30% increase in homes with BER ratings of B2 or higher.
Wicklow was crowned the county with the most eco-friendly homes in Ireland for the second year running.
Wicklow, Meath, Galway, Louth, Wexford, Cork, Kildare, Dublin, Kerry, and Mayo were the top ten counties with the most sustainable homes.
Though this year’s study showed a 3% drop in recycling levels and a 24% decline in newly registered electric cars in 2024, there was a surge in households retrofitting their homes and using cleaner, renewable energy.
Since last year’s study, we found that:
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) completed 53,985 home energy upgrades in 2024, an increase of 13% from 2023.
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278,713 homes had a BER rating of B2 or above in 2024 – 33% – higher than in 2023.
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256,517 tonnes of mixed dry recyclables were collected, which the EPA say was a 3% drop from the previous year.
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17,458 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a 24% drop from the previous year.
Here’s a snapshot of the main stats:
|
COUNTY |
REGISTERED EVS |
B2+ PROPERTIES |
SOLAR INSTALLATIONS |
KG OF RECYCLING |
|
Wicklow |
4.3 per 1,000 (663) |
74.4 per 1,000 (11,580) |
19.6 per 1,000 (3,049) |
89kg per household |
|
Meath |
3.3 per 1,000 (723) |
71.9 per 1,000 (15,849) |
18.6 per 1,000 (4,117) |
155kg per household |
|
Galway |
1.8 per 1,000 (506) |
43.9 per 1,000 (12,155) |
16.3 per 1,000 (4,517) |
129kg per household |
|
Louth |
2.5 per 1,000 (341) |
65.9 per 1,000 (9,178) |
29.8 per 1,000 (4,881)
|
169kg per household |
|
Wexford |
2.6 per 1,000 (433) |
49.8 per 1,000 (8,144) |
17.5 per 1,000 (2,871) |
134kg per household |
|
Cork |
2.8 per 1,000 (1,630) |
55 1,000 (32,036) |
13.9 per 1,000 (8,111) |
147kg per household |
|
Kildare |
4.2 per 1,000 (1,025) |
81.5 per 1,000 (20,141) |
16 per 1,000 (3,965) |
80kg per household |
|
Dublin |
6.2 per 1,000 (9,037) |
68 per 1,000 (98,739 ) |
10.5 per 1,000 (15,345) |
376kg per household |
|
Kerry |
1.4 per 1,000 (213) |
41.7 per 1,000 (6,487) |
14 per 1,000 (2,176) |
165kg per household |
|
Mayo |
1 per 1,000 (141) |
33.6 per 1,000 (4,614) |
13.3 per 1,000 (1,835) |
114kg per household |
Top 5 counties for renewable energy
Sligo took the top spot for homes using renewable energy. It had the highest number of SEAI heat pumps, a significant number of SEAI solar panel energy grants in 2023, and the second-highest number of homes using solar power.
The top five counties for homes using renewable energy included Sligo, Meath, Wexford, Tipperary and Kerry.
Most SEAI property upgrades
In 2024, the SEAI completed almost 54,000 home energy upgrades, up 13% year over year. Meath had the most SEAI property upgrades per 1,000 in 2024, followed closely by the counties of Louth and Wexford. The top five counties for homes receiving SEAI grants were Meath, Louth, Wexford, Mayo, and Galway.
Carlow, Tipperary, Wexford and Meath saw the biggest increases in property upgrades in 2024, growing by 40% (or 220 upgrades), 30% (or 506 upgrades), 27% (or 501 upgrades), and 26% (or 560 upgrades), respectively.
Counties with the warmest homes
Kildare maintained the top spot among counties with the most energy-efficient homes in the country. To determine who had the warmest homes, we ranked counties with the most properties with a BER rating of B2 or more.
Other highly rated counties included Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, Dublin, and Louth.
Nationwide, homes with BERs of B2 or higher jumped by an average of 33%.
Westmeath, Limerick, Roscommon and Louth saw the most significant increases in warm homes, and the county with the largest increase – Westmeath – grew by 71%.
Best counties for electric cars
Dublin County took the top spot for electric car ownership again this year.
A combination of factors—including the cost-of-living crisis, concerns about public charging infrastructure, and a reduction in government incentives—has contributed to declining EV sales. In 2024, the nationwide average of newly registered electric vehicles dropped 24%, with more rural counties like Cavan, Sligo, Leitrim, and Clare seeing the biggest decreases.
However, the counties with the largest EV adoption have remained unchanged since last year’s study, and they include Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, and Kilkenny.
Commercial Director of Switcher.ie, Eoin Clarke says:
“Though EV take-up and recycling dipped slightly, 2024 saw a surge of households making their homes warmer, cleaner and more energy efficient.
Energy costs have remained volatile, and as potential price increases hover on the horizon, our study found significant improvements in BER ratings, SEAI property upgrades and solar installations across the country.
While Wicklow and Meath took first and second place in this year’s index, and Galway climbed to third, it was encouraging to see rural spots like Carlow, Longford, and Westmeath show some of the largest gains. Louth jumped to fourth place this year thanks to a standout number of grants and warm homes in 2024.
Upgrading a home’s energy efficiency can come with steep upfront costs, so we’d encourage homeowners to take advantage of any government schemes or loan initiatives on offer. From SEAI grants to the newly launched Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, there’s a raft of support available for homeowners seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and save money”.
