Electric.ie January/February 2022

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 49 E Vs are fast becoming the preferred choice for many families and businesses, who want to play their part in urgent national climate action. There are now almost 47,000 EVs on Ireland’s roads, over 16,000 of them purchased this year alone, the shift to electric is well and truly underway. Electric cars are more affordable to run with a 74% reduction in annual energy costs and new buyers can benefit from incentives such as grants and lower VRT rates that reduce the purchase price as well discounts on tolls. Industry News Enjoy a great driving experience and seriously low running costs ർ SEAI is calling on motorists in the market for a new, or used, car to seriously consider making the change to an electric vehicle (EV). Private cars, running on petrol and diesel, account for around a fifth of Ireland’s total energy use and the related carbon dioxide emissions, one of the major contributors to climate change. There are new EV models coming to the market, and growing availability of used EVs, meaning there are more options available than ever before, one to suit everyone. SEAI provides an EV comparison tool for those who are looking to find out more about the annual running costs and cost of ownership for EVs that are also eligible for grants at the time of purchase. Over 80% of EV charging is done at home where the user can normally avail of cheaper night rate electricity. SEAI provides grants for homes chargers and has funded the installation of over 12,000 EV chargers to date. In addition to this, there are more than 1,200 public and destination EV charge points available around the country, with more being introduced all the time. It is not only the environment that benefits as electric cars reduce harmful pollutants that have seriously impact our health. With so many benefits for both the environment and your pocket, driving an electric car makes sense. I reland’s total energy use in 2020 was down almost 9%, due largely to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Energy related CO2 emissions fell also by 11.4%. These are most significant annual reduction since the height of the economic recession in 2009. Energy consumption in the transport sector was down a quarter in 2020. All transport sub-sectors saw a reduction, with aviation and private car use experiencing the largest drops. International aviation experienced a 65% reduction in flight numbers. SEAI publishes Energy in Ireland report 2021 ർ The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has published its annual report Energy in Ireland 2021, profiling the trends in energy use and related CO2 emissions for 2020. CO2 emissions from heating increased slightly due mostly to an increase in oil use. This was due to global efforts used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic which caused a sharp reduction in oil price, combined with people spending more time at home due to COVID-19 measures such as work-from- home directives and school closures. 2020 was a significant year for Ireland in assessing whether the country met the EU renewable energy targets. The overall share of renewable energy was just over 13%, falling short of the 16% target. We achieved our target for EU renewable transport energy. Our share of renewable electricity was 39.1%, just shy of our target of 40%. However, we achieved just half of our renewable heating and cooling target.