Councils' eco trip bringing the heat...

IRELAND'S local authorities retrofitted more than 7,300 social homes since 2022, saving enough energy to power more than 6,000 households annually.

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The 2024 Local Government Climate Action Key Performance Indicators report tracks how the 31 county and city councils are implementing climate action measures across housing, transport, business, community engagement and emergency response.

The data reveals that 2,634 social homes were retrofitted last year alone, bringing the three-year total to 7,362, cutting 29,336 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Most of those completed last year (93%) achieved a BER rating of B2 or higher, and 91% were fitted with heat pumps.

It also shows that 1,012 active travel projects were active or completed in 2024, including 181km of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, while councils activated 133 Severe Weather Emergency Response Plans last year, with wind (56%) and rain (27%) accounting for most alerts.