A Eurobarometer survey shows that 54% of Irish people have taken measures to reduce energy consumption in their homes over the last five years, well above the EU average of 44%.
Of those Irish people who had taken measures, the most popular were: insulating their roof, walls, windows, or floor (60%); changing their boiler (38%); installing solar panels (20%); and installing a heat pump (11%).
Financial reasons (46%) and the decision-making power lying with home-owners or building co-owners (34%) were the main reasons why Irish people had not taken measures to reduce energy consumption in their homes.
The survey canvassed EU citizens’ opinion about a range of issues relating to EU energy policy. When asked what a European energy policy means to them, a majority of EU respondents prioritise ensuring affordable energy prices for consumers and this ranks in the top three in 25 member states.
Key findings
General perceptions of EU energy policy
40% of respondents (+ 13 percentage points since 2019) answer that a European energy police means ‘ensuring more affordable energy prices for consumers’.
At least three in ten say the policy means investing in innovative energy technologies (33%, +9 pp) or reducing energy consumption across Europe (30%, + 2 pp).
At the national level, the proportion of respondents who say that, to them, European energy policy means ensuring more affordable energy prices for consumers varies noticeably ranging from 51% in Greece, 50% in Lithuania to 22% in Sweden, 27% in Poland.
Respondents in Spain (39%), Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden (38% each) are the most likely to say energy policy means investing in innovative energy technologies.
At the other end of the scale, 19% in Latvia, 21% in Hungary and 23% of respondents in Czechia and Romania say the same. Decreasing energy consumption across Europe is most widely mentioned by respondents in Hungary (43%), Croatia (39%) and Cyprus (38%).
This is the least mentioned by those in Finland, Germany and Lithuania (24% each). Sweden (49%) is the only country where coordinating European countries on energy matters is the most mentioned answer. Improving energy infrastructure between and across European countries is the joint most common answer in both the Netherlands (38%) and Denmark (37%).
Driving European climate neutrality is the most mentioned answer in Finland (39%), and the joint most mentioned in Denmark (37%).
When asked to think about the areas where the EU has most added value to member states, Europeans most often mention supporting further renewable energy investments (35%), investing in innovative energy technologies (27%) and ensuring energy prices to be as affordable as possible (25%).
In addition, supporting further renewable energy investments ranks in the top two responses in every member state.
Attitudes towards EU climate neutrality target
More than eight in 10 (81%) citizens agree that implementing a climate neutrality target will contribute to Europe’s fight against climate change and to the protection of the environment.
Almost as many (79%) agree that implementing a climate neutrality target will spur new jobs and attract investments in the clean energy sectors or will foster citizens, communities and businesses to play a part of the clean energy transition.
Just a little more than three-quarters (76%) agree that climate neutrality will reduce dependence on energy imports, while 69% agree it will help to reduce energy bills for households and businesses.
Expectations of EU role in coordinating energy matters and addressing energy issues
A large majority of respondents (77%) say the European Union should have a stronger coordination role on energy matters.
More than one third (36%) say the European Union should have more coordinated and integrated actions at European level. Additionally, 27% believe it should have more coordination, but only on specific energy matters (such as interconnections between member states, nuclear safety issues, etc). Meanwhile, more than one in 10 (14%) say that the European Union should have a stronger coordination role but only when justified by a crisis.
Almost one in five (19%) say the European Union should not have a stronger coordination role on energy matters, including 11% who agree that the current level of coordination is adequate. Additionally, 8% say that the European Union should not have any role on energy matters.
Looking at the national results, most respondents in each member state say the European Union should have a stronger coordination role on energy matters. This view is most widespread among respondents in Luxembourg and Malta (88% each), and in Greece and Sweden (87% each), while lower levels of agreement are seen in Czechia (58%), Estonia (61%) and in Austria (66%).
The priority for the European Union over the next five years should be to help consumers to access more affordable energy prices.
When given a list of 13 energy-related issues the EU could tackle as a priority over the next five years, Europeans’ most favoured are: helping consumers to access more affordable energy prices (30%), decreasing energy consumption across Europe (27%), reducing European energy imports and increasing European energy independence (26%) and investing in innovative energy technologies (25%). Then, there is also positive support to the EU’s climate neutrality objective (21%), as well as international efforts to combat climate change (21%).