More than three quarters of homes in Donegal use ‘high carbon fuels’ for home heating, according to a new report.
The publication from Liquid Gas Ireland (LGI) shows that 67 per cent of households in the county use oil while a further 11 per cent burn coal. Donegal is the joint highest user of coal as a source of heat alongside Wexford.
The report also noted Letterkenny ranking as one of the worst performing areas in the EPA’s Air Quality Report for 2022. The report states that 69 per cent of homes in the town use oil as a source of heat.
LGI says that many rural counties have a high rate of fossil fuel dependency. In many circumstances, they argue, switching to an electric heat pump system is not logistically viable or is prohibitively expensive, leaving homeowners with limited alternative options to decarbonise.
“It’s clear that a wider suite of options is urgently required to accelerate the decarbonisation of homes by 2030,” LGI Policy Director Philip Hannon, said.
“Both lower carbon LPG, renewable BioLPG and, in time, rDME, can and are playing a key role in helping rural Irish homes meet their energy needs while simultaneously lowering carbon emissions. By adopting a mixed technology approach that embraces lower carbon and renewable fuels, the Government can expand more accessible alternatives to the 46% of homes currently using high carbon fuels. This would deliver cleaner air and lower emissions in rural areas in line with our 2050 net zero targets.
“Rural communities should be offered the technology choices that meet their unique needs through secure, clean, and efficient lower-carbon fuels. LGI strongly argues that a ‘mixed technology’ approach that supports the use of lower carbon liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and renewable liquid gas (BioLPG / rDME) through the installation of renewable ready gas boilers, as well as heat pump technology, would help achieve this.”
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