Environment « Thurles Information

Tipperary Home Energy Upgrades Still Worth It, Even If The Headlines Sound Confusing.

Homeowners across Co. Tipperary could be forgiven for feeling mixed messages about retrofitting right now.

A new ESRI review has sparked debate by highlighting that actual household energy use does not always match what BER ratings predict.
Put in simple terms, some highly efficient homes use more energy than expected, while many low-rated homes use less than the models suggest. The ESRI says this helps explain why average real-world consumption can look surprisingly similar across BER bands.

At first glance, that can make insulation, heating upgrades, or a heat pump seem like poor value. But that would be the wrong conclusion, especially in a county like Tipperary, where many homes are older, more rural, more exposed to weather, and more likely to depend on oil, solid fuel, or outdated heating systems. The same CSO data that raised eyebrows also shows that better-rated homes generally use less energy per square metre, which remains one of the fairest ways to compare homes of very different sizes. In 2023, A and B rated homes using electricity for heating consumed 39 kWh per square metre, compared with 66 for C-rated homes and 58 for F and G rated homes.

That matters in Tipperary because house size and dwelling type play a big role in energy demand. Detached houses use far more energy overall than mid-terrace homes simply because there is more space to heat. The CSO found detached homes had the highest mean electricity consumption in 2023, at 7,388 kWh, 77% higher than mid-terrace houses. For a county with a large stock of detached and one-off rural homes, that makes efficiency upgrades especially relevant.

There is another reason this matters locally. CSO figures published in 2025 showed that Tipperary had one of the highest proportions of G-rated homes in the country, at 10%. That suggests a significant number of households in the county are living in homes that are harder and more expensive to keep comfortable. In practice, many families in lower-rated homes are not “saving” energy in a meaningful sense. They may simply be under-heating rooms, avoiding turning the heat on, or living with draughts and cold spots, because the cost of comfort is too high. That is very different from saying an upgrade has no value.

This is the key point often lost in the national argument: retrofitting is not only about cutting a bill on paper. It is also about comfort, health, resilience, and future-proofing. A warmer, drier home is easier to live in. It is healthier for children and older people. It is less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. And it is more attractive in the property market. The BER is not a perfect measure of human behaviour, but it is still a useful measure of the building itself: its insulation, airtightness, and heating potential.

For Tipperary homeowners, the smarter question is not “Are upgrades worth it at all?” but “Which upgrades make sense for my house, my budget, and my timeline?” A full deep retrofit may not be realistic for every household. Nationally, the government supported 53,984 home energy upgrades in 2024, and more than €1.2 billion has been invested in 186,000 homes since 2019. Low-cost retrofit loans are also now available to help with upfront funding. That means households can often take a phased approach: attic insulation first, then wall insulation, then heating controls, solar PV, or eventually a heat pump.

And heat pumps should not be dismissed. SEAI says they use less than a third of the energy of an oil or gas boiler and work well in cold climates, which is why they are so common in countries like Sweden and Norway. In Tipperary Town, the local Sustainable Energy Community is already backing projects involving solar upgrades, public housing retrofit, and an air-to-water heat pump for a sports centre redevelopment.

So yes, the headlines deserve scrutiny. BER ratings do not tell the whole story. But for many homeowners in Co. Tipperary, energy upgrades are still a sound investment. Not because every retrofit instantly transforms the numbers, but because a better home is about more than a spreadsheet. It is about comfort, control, and making older Tipperary houses fit for the future.

ESB Networks Under Pressure to Explain Smart Meter Failure.

ESB Networks Under Pressure to Explain Smart Meter Failure and Full Extent of Data Error.

ESB Networks is facing mounting pressure to provide a full and transparent account of how an internal software failure was allowed to generate grossly inaccurate smart meter readings for customers across Ireland, triggering alarm, confusion and serious questions about oversight, safeguards and accountability. The company has confirmed that a planned software upgrade carried out last Friday led to some electricity usage data being processed incorrectly, resulting in highly inflated figures appearing on customer accounts and supplier platforms.

You may check your ‘not so smart’ reading HERE, if you can trust the system.

Emotionally overwhelmed eletric wiring on display located at Ikerrin Road Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
*“Behold sky spaghetti”*. Somewhere inside that knot is one cable doing all the work.
*Pic: G.Willoughby.*

While ESB Networks has apologised for the “confusion and concern” caused, the seriousness of the incident goes far beyond inconvenience. Customers reported seeing apparent one-day electricity costs rise to extraordinary levels, in some cases hundreds or even thousands of euro, with usage figures so extreme that they should have been immediately recognised as impossible, by any functioning validation system. Reports included daily costs of €738 and €2,500; figures that have prompted widespread disbelief and anger.

The incident has exposed what appears to be a major failure in internal controls. If abnormal readings of that scale were able to pass through ESB Networks’ systems and appear on customer-facing accounts, it raises unavoidable questions about the adequacy of testing, monitoring and escalation procedures surrounding critical software changes. A planned upgrade to a nationally significant metering system should not have been capable of producing such obviously absurd outcomes without immediate containment. That it did so points to a deeply troubling lapse in operational assurance.

Perhaps most damaging is the lack of clarity over duration. ESB Networks has identified the trigger as last Friday’s software upgrade, but there is still no full public explanation of how long the issue remained live, when it was first detected internally, how many customers were affected, or whether warning signs emerged before the problem became visible to the public. In the absence of that detail, there is every reason for customers to ask whether this issue was caught promptly at all, or whether it only gained urgency once consumers began highlighting impossible charges online.

ESB Networks has insisted that the issue is internal, that smart meters themselves remain reliable, and that affected data will be corrected automatically with no action required from customers. But reassurance alone is unlikely to restore confidence. With smart meters intended to deliver accuracy, transparency and trust, this episode represents a significant reputational failure. ESB Networks must now do more than fix the numbers; it must explain, in full, how this happened, how long it persisted, and why customers were left to discover the problem before the system did.

At Last, Ireland’s Brighter Evenings Are Coming Into View.

After months of grey afternoons, persistent drizzle and that familiar winter feeling of the day ending far too soon, Ireland is finally approaching one of the most welcome turning points of the year; the return of brighter evenings.

For many, the true sign of spring is not a date on the calendar or even a rise in temperature, but that subtle, heartening moment when daylight begins to linger. In 2026, the spring equinox falls on Friday, March 20th, marking the official start of astronomical spring and bringing with it the sense that the darker half of the year is, at last, beginning to loosen its grip.

Of course, spring in Ireland rarely arrives in one dramatic flourish. There may still be cold mornings, sudden showers and more than a few overcast skies ahead. But even so, the shift is unmistakable. The days stretch a little further. The light softens and the prospect of leaving work or finishing dinner before sunset begins to feel real again.

A major part of that seasonal change comes at the end of March, when the clocks move forward for daylight saving time. On Sunday, March 29th, clocks in Ireland will jump ahead by one hour at 1:00am, moving straight to 2:00am. While the change is unlikely to be greeted warmly in the moment. particularly by anyone reluctant to lose an hour of sleep, it delivers an instant reward in the form of longer evenings and more usable daylight at the end of the day.

That is the trade-off many people are more than willing to accept. After all, brighter evenings have a way of transforming everyday life. Suddenly there is time again for an evening walk along that seafront, a run in the park, a coffee outdoors, or simply a chance to enjoy a little fresh air before night falls. What feels impossible in January becomes effortless by late April.

And the improvement happens quickly. By April 18th, sunset in Thurles is expected to fall at around 8:30pm, while by the end of the month it will be approaching 9:00pm. That extra daylight brings with it not just practical benefits, but a noticeable lift in mood. Even the most ordinary routines can feel lighter when they unfold under a brighter evening sky.

This year’s clock change also arrives slightly earlier than it did in 2025, when the switch took place on March 30th. It may only be a matter of a single day, but after a long Irish winter, even that feels worth noting.

There has, of course, been ongoing debate across Europe about whether the twice-yearly clock change should be abolished altogether. While proposals have been discussed at EU level, no final change has been introduced, meaning Ireland will continue to move between winter and summer time for now.

Later in the year, the clocks will go back again in October. But that is a thought for another season. For now, the important thing is this; the brighter evenings are nearly here, and after months of winter gloom, they could hardly come soon enough.

CCPC Warns Consumers After Asbestos Concerns Prompt Toy Recalls Across Ireland.

Just 5 days ago, (February 27th 2026), the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), issued an urgent consumer alert following recalls of toys sold in a number of retailers across Ireland due to the possible presence of asbestos.

Asbestos is banned across the EU because it poses a risk to health. The CCPC said a My Living World – Worm World Kit was recalled last week after laboratory testing detected tremolite asbestos in some samples of the sand included with the product. The kit is intended to house worms so children can study them.

The CCPC has also highlighted a separate recall being carried out by HTI Toys involving Stretcherz Toys, where the sand inside the product may contain asbestos.

Consumer advice.
The CCPC is advising anyone who has the affected products at home to:

Stop using the product immediately.
Seal the product in a heavy-duty plastic bag, label it clearly, and store it securely out of reach of children.
Contact your local authority for advice on collection and disposal.
Contact the retailer where the item was purchased to request a refund before disposal.
Full batch code details are available on the CCPC website.

Irish Retailers confirmed to date for the Worm World Kit.

The CCPC confirm the My Living World – Worm World Kit has been sold and distributed through a number of Irish retailers, including:

Oliver Douglas & Sons, Roscrea Road, Birr, Co Offaly.
Banba Toymaster, 48 Mary Street, Dublin 1.
Hopkins Toymaster, Main Street, Wicklow Town.
Toy Corner, Moycullen, Galway.
Eamonn Fahey Toymaster, Crossmolina Road, Ballina, Co Mayo
Kellys Toymaster, Church Road, Tullamore, Co Offaly

The CCPC also confirm it has been in contact with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), Scientific Laboratory Supplies Limited (SLS Ltd) and relevant schools regarding the Worm World Kit recall.

Tipperary Secures Major 2026 Roads Investment Package Worth About €57.7m

A significant roads funding package for 2026, announced in February 2026, has been outlined for Tipperary, covering both regional/local roads and national roads.

Regional & Local Roads (Tipperary County Council): €49,379,670.
The largest share of the allocation is directed toward the day-to-day upkeep and long-term resilience of the county’s regional and local network.

Over last weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking Thurles, Co. Tipperary, had been abandoned, judging by the state of our streets. Once again we’re driving on loose gravel, while yesterday’s potholes are “repaired” with cold tarmac tipped straight into puddles, as if water were a suitable foundation.

Worse than that, a drain cover was left open since last Thursday, near to the junction at Bowe’s corner; the grate cover having been dislodged in direct line with vehicle wheels. (See picture featured hereunder.)

*Pic 1 Left:* **Grate cover dislodged.**
*Pic 2 Right:* **On Barry’s Bridge, once again, a sinking surface**, **as 18 wheelers bounce over a raised pedestrian platform.**
*Pictures: G.Willoughby.*

**Parnell Street, Thurles beginning to sink and unravel with footpath now at a distinct sloaping angle.**
*Picture: G. Willoughby*.

“Protection & Renewal”: €36,234,670.
Within the regional and local roads budget, €36,234,670 is assigned to Protection & Renewal. This funding supports a wide range of works and programmes, including:

restoration, improvement, and maintenance works
discretionary schemes
bridges and structures
drainage projects
road safety measures
climate adaptation works
community involvement initiatives (and other related supports)

National Roads (Tipperary): €8,360,343.

In addition, €8,360,343 has been allocated for national roads within Tipperary, supporting key routes that play a major role in commuting, freight, and regional connectivity.

A Combined Local Package of Approximately €57.7m.
Taken together, the figures referenced locally bring the overall roads investment package for Tipperary to around €57.7 million for 2026.

National Context: Over €1.5bn for Roads in 2026.
For broader context, the Department of Transport has stated that more than €1.5 billion was provided nationally in 2026 for national roads and regional/local roads, placing the Tipperary allocation within a substantial nationwide investment programme.