North Cork homes among most efficient in Ireland

FIGURES from the Central Statistics Office show that Cork County received the second best building energy ratings in Ireland, and that North Cork is leading the way in terms of energy efficiency. The figure show that 18% of houses in Cork county received an A or B rating, behind only Dublin county, where 20% of home’s received the same rating.

Narrowing down the numbers further show that Mallow and Macroom are among the most energy efficient locations in the county, with both areas receiving a 23% A-B rating, well above the national average of 13%. These figures are partially attributed to the median age of BER rated houses in North Cork being 10 years and 3 months old, which places North Cork homes as among the newest in Ireland.

Other reasons for Cork’s higher BER ratings include the sources of heating fuel used in the County, including electrical heating, which is seen as highly inefficient and is used to heat 13% of Cork homes compared to 21% nationwide.

Since BERs became compulsory in the building of new homes, it has been estimated that a good energy rating can add 10% to the value of a house, with each improvement on the BER scale adding a 2% price increase on average. This is demonstrated by a marked increase in North Cork real estate prices, with prices expected to rise by a further 15%-20% by the end of 2018.