Ireland’s local authorities retrofitted more than 7,300 social homes since 2022, saving enough energy to power more than 6,000 households annually, according to the findings of the ‘2024 Local Government Climate Action Key Performance Indicators’ report, which outlines key responses of the 31 local authorities to climate change.
The report has tracked how county and city councils in Ireland are successfully implementing climate action measures across housing, transport, business, community engagement and emergency response. The data reveals that last year alone, 2,634 social homes were retrofitted, 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.
Frank Curran, Chair of the County and City Management Association’s Environment, Climate and Circular Economy Committee (pictured), said that the retrofitting of more than 7,300 social homes since 2022 is a powerful example of local authorities leading on climate action.
“These upgrades have delivered significant benefits – cutting greenhouse gas emissions, lowering energy bills and improving living conditions. The report illustrates the broad range of activities being carried out by the local government sector and the positive impact these actions are having on addressing this critical issue.”
He noted that using KPIs to monitor progress “helps us to track positive impacts and also holds the sector to account as they highlight areas where it is not performing well”.
In responding to storms such as Ashley, Bert, Conall and Darragh, which swept across Ireland last year, local authorities are being confronted with more intense weather, according to Frank Curran, who is also Chief Executive of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. “Summers are getting warmer, and last year was the world’s hottest on record,” he added.
The report also reveals that all 31 local authorities had Climate Action Officers and Community Climate Action Officers in place by the end of 2024.
Dr Bernie O’Donoghue Hynes, Head of Research at the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and lead author of the report, said that the data highlights that local authorities reduced their CO₂ emissions by 34% last year.
“These officials are ensuring climate actions are integrated within local authorities practice and are driving climate action initiatives across county and city council services. Almost 4,000 climate-related actions have been identified across the 31 authorities.
“By the end of 2024, 178 (5%) were fully completed, 1,152 (29%) were completed but were recurring so commenced again, 1,779 (45%) were in progress, and 842 (21%) had not started.”
