Household Energy Consumption: A Study of Micro Renewable Energy Systems in Ireland

Abstract

Ireland’s National Renewable Energy Action plan addresses how it will meet its environmental commitments. One element of the strategy is the use and promotion of micro renewable energy systems (micro-RES). This paper profiles households that have adopted micro-RES and examines whether micro-RES installations have resulted in a reduction in energy consumption based on data from the Irish Household Budget Survey. Results indicate that the presence of micro-RES does not result in a reduction of electricity use, rather the opposite. Furthermore, our findings indicate that some revision of energy policy is needed, as the presence of micro-RES does not result in a decrease in total energy use.