Around a third of all homes being rented by Kerry County Council have an energy rating of D or lower.
That’s according to the council’s own information, provided to county councillors at the recent monthly meeting.
It was in response to a motion from Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris, who said she was mortified and disgusted by the figures.
The Building Energy Rating is an objective energy performance of a home, which helps assess the energy efficiency of a property.
The rating scale is similar to the energy rating labels for household appliances, rating the homes from A to G; A-rated homes are the most energy efficient, while G-rated homes are the least efficient, which typically require a lot of energy to heat the home.
At the end of last year, the council had a total rented housing stock of over 4,500 units.
Around a third of these have an energy rating of D, E, F, or G, while another third have ratings of A, B, or C.
The other third of the council’s rented stock are awaiting BER assessment.
Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris said she was mortified and disgusted that the council has people living in this many homes with poor energy ratings.
She said the council is their landlord, and is charging them rent to live in rotten homes with black mould, dampness, and faulty windows.
Cllr Ferris said the councillors have repeatedly asked for more funding from central government for housing maintenance, but senior management should be shouting from the rooftops about this.
