Indicators & Methods
IREPO gives every one of Ireland's 18,919 Census small areas a score for home-heating energy poverty risk. This page explains what goes into the score, how it is worked out, and where the data comes from.
IREPO score
National average
The main score. Half people and homes (EPI), half how well the homes are rated (BER). 0 is the lowest risk and 1 the highest.
Energy Poverty Index (EPI)
National average
Built from eight Census 2022 figures about heating, housing and income. Higher means more households at risk.
BER score
National average
The middle Building Energy Rating of the homes in the area, turned into a number. 0 is an A1 rating (the best) and 1 is a G (the worst).
How the score is worked out
- EPI. Each of the eight Census figures is a percentage, for example 12% of households with no central heating. We turn it into a share (12% becomes 0.12), multiply it by its weight, and add the eight results together.
- BER score. We take the middle (median) BER rating of the homes in the area and place it on a scale from 0 (A1) to 1 (G).
- IREPO score. Half of the EPI plus half of the BER score.
A few areas have no BER data. For these, IREPO score is left empty and IREPO score (gaps filled) uses the EPI on its own. The simulator map shows the gaps-filled score.
Risk bands
The same bands and colours as the simulator map. Counts use the gaps-filled score.
| Band | Score | Small areas | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Low | 0.00 to under 0.20 | 878 | 4.6% |
| Low | 0.20 to under 0.35 | 8,431 | 44.6% |
| Moderate | 0.35 to under 0.50 | 8,845 | 46.8% |
| High | 0.50 to under 0.65 | 760 | 4.0% |
| Very High | 0.65 and over | 2 | under 0.1% |
The eight Census indicators in the EPI
The weights add up to 100% and come from Kelly et al. (2020) and other Irish fuel-poverty research. The last column names the simulator lever that changes each one.
| Indicator | What it counts | Weight | Source | Simulator lever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % no central heating | Households with no central heating. |
25%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.5 | Heating Upgrade Programme |
| % solid fuel heating | Households whose central heating runs on coal or peat. |
20%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.5 | Solid Fuel Phase-Out |
| % built before 1960 | Homes built before 1960. Older homes are usually harder and dearer to heat. |
15%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.2 | None |
| % oil heating | Households whose central heating runs on oil, which is exposed to price swings. |
10%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.5 | Oil Heating Transition |
| % local authority renting | Households renting from the local council. |
10%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.3 | Social Housing Retrofit |
| % no renewable energy | Households with no renewable energy source at home. |
10%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 6.10 | Renewable Energy Rollout |
| % unemployed | People aged 15 and over who are unemployed or looking for their first job. |
5%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 8.1 | Employment Programme |
| % low social class | People in social classes 5 and 6 (semi-skilled and unskilled manual work). |
5%
|
Census 2022 SAPS, Table 9.1 | None |
BER score
A Building Energy Rating (BER) runs from A1 (most efficient) to G (least efficient), 15 steps in all. We take the middle rating of the assessed homes in each small area and place it on this scale:
In the simulator, the National Retrofit Ambition lever lowers the BER score, as if that share of homes were upgraded. Because the BER score is half of the IREPO score, this lever has the biggest single effect.
Worked example
A real small area with a typical score (the national middle): ATHLONE WEST RURAL, ROSCOMMON (ID 197008001).
| Indicator | Value | × weight | = part of EPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| % no central heating | 0.8% | 25% | 0.0020 |
| % solid fuel heating | 24.6% | 20% | 0.0492 |
| % built before 1960 | 16.4% | 15% | 0.0246 |
| % oil heating | 57.4% | 10% | 0.0574 |
| % local authority renting | 0.0% | 10% | 0.0000 |
| % no renewable energy | 63.1% | 10% | 0.0631 |
| % unemployed | 3.1% | 5% | 0.0015 |
| % low social class | 11.3% | 5% | 0.0056 |
| EPI | 0.2035 | ||
- Median BER rating: C2, so the BER score is 0.5000.
- IREPO score = ½ × 0.2035 + ½ × 0.5000 = 0.3517.
- That puts it in the Moderate risk band.
Where the data comes from
| Data | From | Used for | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS) | CSO | The eight EPI indicators | CC BY 4.0 |
| National BER Research Tool | SEAI | The BER score | CC BY 4.0 |
| Small Areas – National Statistical Boundaries 2022 | Tailte Éireann / CSO | The small areas and the maps | CC BY 4.0 |
We thank the CSO, SEAI and Tailte Éireann for making this data openly available. Full credits and how to cite them: Data sources & licences.
How many areas have each kind of data:
- BER + EPI: 18,838 small areas have both, so they get the full score.
- EPI only: 78 small areas have no BER data. Their gaps-filled score is the EPI on its own.
- No data: 3 small areas could not be matched to either dataset, so they have no score.
Method based on: Kelly, J.A., Clinch, J.P., Kelleher, L. & Shahab, S. (2020). Enabling a just transition: A composite indicator for assessing home-heating energy-poverty risk and the impact of environmental policy measures. Energy Policy, 146, 111791. doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111791
Things to keep in mind
- The score shows risk across an area, not whether a particular household is in energy poverty.
- The Census figures are from April 2022. Things may have changed since then.
- BER ratings only exist for homes that have been assessed, mostly when they were sold, rented out or got a grant. In some areas only a few homes have a rating.
- The weights come from published research. They are a judgement, not something measured from the data.
- The simulator shows what could happen to the score if a policy reached a share of homes. It is not a forecast.