Transport Energy Usage in Ireland
The transport sector in Ireland is a significant fuel consumer. In 2005, it accounted for 33% (5,089 ktoe) of Ireland's primary energy demand or 41% of final energy demand, consuming more than twice as much as industry.
In 2005, energy use in transport was over 99% dependent on oil products, all of which were imported. The sector with the second highest oil dependency was the residential sector where oil accounted for 30% of total fuel usage.
Final energy use in the transport sector has grown by 151% (6.3% per annum on average) between 1990 and 2005, the fastest growth rate of all sectors. Growth of 8% was recorded in 2005.
- Estimated total spend on transport energy, excluding air, in 2005 was €5.2 billion.
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Figure 1: Specific CO2 Emissions of new cars in Ireland 2000 - 2005. (Source: Based on DEHLG data) |
Over the period 2000 to 2005 the trend decreased slightly (0.3%) for average petrol emissions while diesel emissions rose by 1.6% since 2000. The trend for diesel cars provides evidence that purchasing larger cars is outweighing the technological improvements of new cars. The opposite effect i.e. the efficiency of new cars is outweighing the effect of purchasing larger engine size is the case for petrol cars. It is worth noting that more efficient diesel vehicles are available for purchase but the analysis in this report indicates that consumers have not chosen to purchase the more efficient vehicles. |
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Figure 2: Specific Fuel Consumption of new cars in Ireland 2000 - 2005 (Source: Based on DEHLG data) |
The specific fuel consumption for new petrol cars on the road in Ireland in 2005 was 7.2 litres/100km (40 miles per gallon, mpg). This represents an increase of 1.6% (decrease in fuel efficiency) on the average consumption in 2000 and indicates that, overall, the weighted average of newly purchased petrol cars is becoming less fuel efficient. The comparable 2005 figure for new diesel cars was 6.3 litres/100km (45 mpg), which was 2.1% higher than in 2000. |
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Figure 3: Energy Usage Growth transport Sector 1990 - 2004 - Index (Source: Odyssee) |
The graph above represents the transport sector fuel mix for EU-15 countries (excluding Luxemburg) for 2004. It can be seen that petrol and diesel, unsurprisingly, account for the majority of the fuel consumed in the sector 83% in the EU-15 as a whole. There is also a significant amount of kerosene used for air transport with smaller amounts of LPG, fuel oil and electricity being consumed. |
For further details on transport energy use in Ireland, please click here to download SEI's report 'Energy in Transport'.
