Gas emissions fall but progress still too slow - report

Greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland's buildings fell again last year, but the Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that progress remains far too slow to meet the legally binding climate targets that apply over the rest of the decade.

Its latest assessment shows emissions from homes fell by an estimated 5% in 2025, while emissions from commercial and public buildings declined by 3.5%. Together, the built environment accounted for around 12.5% of Ireland's total greenhouse gas emissions.

The reductions were helped by fewer colder days requiring heating because the winter was warmer than normal.

However, the Council said the reductions should not be mistaken for long-term structural progress.

While both the residential sector and the commercial and public buildings sector remained within their first legally binding sectoral emissions ceilings covering the period from 2021 to 2025, the outlook for the next carbon budget period is far more challenging.

The Environmental Protection Agency projects that residential buildings are likely to exceed their second sectoral emissions ceiling for 2026 to 2030 by around five million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, almost 22% above the legal limit.

The commercial and public buildings sector is projected to perform even worse, exceeding its emissions ceiling by 3.1 million tonnes, or more than 62%.

The Climate Change Advisory Council said much faster progress will now be required in retrofitting homes, replacing fossil fuel heating systems and expanding renewable energy if Ireland is to remain on course to meet its climate obligations.

Dependence on fossil fuels leaves Ireland exposed to volatile energy prices - CCAC

Launching the report, the Chairperson of the Climate Change Advisory Council, Alex White, said Ireland's continued dependence on fossil fuels for heating leaves households, businesses and public services exposed to volatile international energy prices.

"As long as Ireland remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels to heat homes and buildings, our households, businesses and public services will remain exposed to global price volatility and energy insecurity," he said.

"The Government has set the right ambition to end Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels. The test now is delivery. We have the solutions and we know there is an appetite for them, but they must be enabled through policy and legislation."

The Council said progress on improving the energy efficiency of buildings continued during 2025, but remains well behind the pace required under the Government's Climate Action Plan.

More than 26,300 homes were upgraded to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or better through Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland schemes during the year, an increase of 20% on 2024.

However, the cumulative total since 2019 now stands at just over 84,000 homes, well short of the Government's target of 120,000 by the end of last year.

Heat pump installations also increased by 21% during 2025 to almost 4,400 units.

Despite that improvement, just 18,580 heat pumps have been installed since 2019, achieving only around 41% of the Government's target of 45,000 installations by the end of 2025.

The Council said this is particularly significant because around 90% of Ireland's heat demand is still being met by fossil fuels.

It also highlights continuing delays in rolling out district heating schemes.

The latest EPA projections now estimate that only 0.2 terawatt hours of district heating capacity will be available by 2030, compared with the Government's target of 2.7 terawatt hours.

The Council attributes the shortfall to delays in introducing the necessary legislation and regulatory framework, together with uncertainty over long-term funding.

It said the delayed National Building Renovation Plan should now be published urgently, including a clear pathway for phasing out fossil fuel boilers by 2040, as required under EU law.

The report also identifies significant challenges in improving the energy performance of social housing.

5,000 social homes will need to be retrofitted every year until 2030, says Council

The number of local authority homes retrofitted increased by just 2.5% during 2025, bringing the total completed since 2021 to 10,370.

The Council said approximately 5,000 social homes will now have to be retrofitted every year until 2030 if the Government is to achieve its own target of upgrading 36,500 homes.

Mr White said social housing represented one of the clearest tests of whether the State could deliver on its climate commitments.

"The State owns this housing stock, the targets are clear, and the benefits for households are immediate. To meet the 2030 target, local authorities will need to retrofit around twice as many homes each year as were delivered in 2025," he said.

The Council is calling for increased and sustained multi-annual funding in Budget 2027 to accelerate social housing retrofits.

It also wants the Government to speed up the rollout of rooftop solar panels, particularly across social housing, and introduce a national framework for plug-in solar technology to allow apartment dwellers and renters to benefit from lower electricity bills.

Despite its concerns, the Council said there are encouraging signs that stronger financial incentives can drive greater participation in retrofit schemes.

It noted that enhanced grants introduced at the beginning of 2026 resulted in a 96% increase in retrofit applications during the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2025.

The report also argues that greater attention must now be paid to making buildings more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

It said the National Building Renovation Plan should include measures such as flood protection, improved water efficiency and better thermal regulation to help buildings cope with increasingly frequent heatwaves and extreme weather.

The Council is also calling on the Government to accelerate the development of coastal change management plans in vulnerable coastal communities threatened by erosion and flooding.