New data reveals huge jump in council's energy costs over the past four years

Mayo County Council’s energy costs over a four-year period topped €14.5 million.

The local authority’s energy bill has jumped by over €1.3 million between 2020 and 2023.

In 2020, the council's energy costs were €2.9m. In 2021, that figure rose to €3m and in 2022 climbed to €4.25m. Last year the energy costs incurred by the council came in at €4.28m. It means the annual bill has gone up by 47% between 2020 and 2023. 

The figures provided by the council include the cost of electricity, heating, and fleet fuel.

The costs were revealed following a motion put forward by Independent councillor Mark Duffy. 

Cllr Duffy also called on the council to follow through on its Climate Action Plan and appoint an energy officer to reduce energy use and help the council meet national reduction targets.

The Independent councillor also asked each department to provide details on what steps it is taking to reduce energy costs.

Mayo County Council stated it was actively working to implement all actions in the Climate Action Plan.

The local authority cited a number of examples of steps being taken to reduce carbon emissions. These included converting 43% of all public lighting to LED; installing Solar PV on council-owned buildings; a transition to more online services such as e-planning; more efficient information systems; and blended working, which has reduced staff travel by almost 19,000km in 2023.

The council launched its Climate Action Plan in Crossmolina yesterday.