County by county · CSO Census 2022 · updated 29 October 2026
Gas or oil? How each county heats its homes
More Irish homes heat with oil (39%) than with natural gas (33%). In Dublin it's two in three on gas; in 13 counties it's fewer than one in ten. That decides what kind of combi you can fit.
- 39%of Irish homes heat with oil
- 33%with natural gas
- 13counties where under 10% have gas
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What a new combi costs, and what it costs to run
Pick your county, the job and your bathrooms. You get what installers publish for it, the grant, a year's running cost on each fuel and whether a combi fits.
The same heat for a year on each fuel, from SEAI's unit prices, before standing charges.
In Co. Galway, 8% of homes heat with natural gas, 54% with oil and 1% with LPG (CSO Census 2022).
Get a fixed price for thisHow this is worked out
Prices: the median of what Irish installers publish on their own websites for that job, one price per installer (their lowest package), checked 22 and 23 October 2026 (every price); the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Most don't say whether VAT is in the price. Running cost: SEAI's Domestic Fuels comparison of 1 July 2026, with VAT and before standing charges: gas 13.00c a kWh (16.41c under 5,556 kWh a year), kerosene 12.60c, bulk LPG 17.67c, electricity 34.38c. Boilers at SEAI's condensing band, 85%–97%; an electric combi at 100%; an air-to-water heat pump at an SPF of 2.5–4.0. The starting 10,000 kWh is the CRU's average gas use of 11,000 kWh (as Electric Ireland publishes it) through a boiler at 91%, the middle of that band; put in your own. County figures are the CSO's Census 2022. The grant rules are SEAI's. It's a guide to hold a quote against, not a quote.
More Irish homes heat with oil than with natural gas: 39% against 33% in the 2022 Census (CSO Census 2022). Gas is mostly a Dublin and east-coast story. 66% of Dublin homes heat with gas, but in 13 of the 26 counties fewer than one home in ten does.
That decides what kind of combi you can fit. Where there's no gas main on the road, the choice is an oil combi, LPG, or a heat pump with its grant.
Gas, oil and electric heating in every county
GasOilElectricOther
- Dublin66% gas9% oil
- Louth40% gas42% oil
- Kildare38% gas37% oil
- Meath35% gas44% oil
- Cork35% gas39% oil
- Wicklow34% gas41% oil
- Waterford28% gas43% oil
- Limerick28% gas43% oil
- Laois25% gas43% oil
- Carlow23% gas53% oil
- Kilkenny21% gas54% oil
- Clare12% gas58% oil
- Tipperary12% gas60% oil
- Westmeath10% gas50% oil
- Cavan8% gas69% oil
- Galway8% gas54% oil
- Offaly7% gas42% oil
- Monaghan6% gas75% oil
- Roscommon4% gas56% oil
- Sligo3% gas60% oil
- Mayo3% gas61% oil
- Kerry2% gas63% oil
- Leitrim2% gas66% oil
- Longford2% gas57% oil
- Wexford1% gas67% oil
- Donegal1% gas67% oil
Share of households by central heating fuel, sorted by gas. Other includes solid fuel, LPG, none and not stated. Source: CSO Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics, county file, table 6.5. Dublin is the four Dublin council areas together; Cork and Galway are city and county together.
The full county table
| County | Households | Gas | Oil | Electric | LPG | Solid fuel | Built pre-1980 | Installers in our survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 518,490 | 66% | 9% | 17% | 0.2% | 1% | 49% | 19 |
| Louth | 49,332 | 40% | 42% | 7% | 0.6% | 3% | 42% | 1 |
| Kildare | 82,543 | 38% | 37% | 11% | 0.5% | 7% | 29% | 3 |
| Meath | 72,549 | 35% | 44% | 10% | 0.6% | 5% | 31% | 1 |
| Cork | 210,918 | 35% | 39% | 12% | 1% | 6% | 44% | 5 |
| Wicklow | 54,059 | 34% | 41% | 11% | 0.6% | 6% | 42% | – |
| Waterford | 47,682 | 28% | 43% | 12% | 0.7% | 9% | 42% | – |
| Limerick | 76,295 | 28% | 43% | 10% | 0.6% | 8% | 44% | 1 |
| Laois | 31,112 | 25% | 43% | 7% | 0.6% | 19% | 33% | – |
| Carlow | 22,174 | 23% | 53% | 9% | 0.6% | 8% | 38% | 1 |
| Kilkenny | 36,685 | 21% | 54% | 8% | 0.8% | 10% | 41% | – |
| Clare | 46,441 | 12% | 58% | 9% | 1% | 13% | 40% | – |
| Tipperary | 62,056 | 12% | 60% | 8% | 0.6% | 13% | 47% | – |
| Westmeath | 34,003 | 10% | 50% | 10% | 1% | 22% | 39% | 1 |
| Cavan | 28,776 | 8% | 69% | 7% | 1% | 10% | 35% | – |
| Galway | 98,654 | 8% | 54% | 13% | 1.0% | 16% | 33% | – |
| Offaly | 28,702 | 7% | 42% | 8% | 0.5% | 35% | 42% | – |
| Monaghan | 22,855 | 6% | 75% | 7% | 0.8% | 6% | 43% | – |
| Roscommon | 25,975 | 4% | 56% | 6% | 0.8% | 27% | 39% | 1 |
| Sligo | 26,801 | 3% | 60% | 11% | 1% | 18% | 39% | – |
| Mayo | 51,996 | 3% | 61% | 8% | 0.9% | 22% | 39% | – |
| Kerry | 58,179 | 2% | 63% | 11% | 1% | 16% | 40% | – |
| Leitrim | 13,589 | 2% | 66% | 8% | 1.0% | 18% | 37% | – |
| Longford | 16,206 | 2% | 57% | 10% | 0.9% | 21% | 37% | – |
| Wexford | 59,081 | 1% | 67% | 10% | 0.9% | 14% | 35% | – |
| Donegal | 61,575 | 1% | 67% | 5% | 0.5% | 20% | 33% | – |
| Ireland | 1,836,728 | 33% | 39% | 12% | 0.6% | 9% | 42% | 35 |
Households answering the central heating question (table 6.5); year built where stated (table 6.2). Solid fuel is coal, peat and wood together. "Installers in our survey" counts installers based in that county who publish a price on their own website, checked 22 and 23 October 2026; national providers cover most counties too.
What it means for a new combi
- Gas counties. Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Meath, Cork and Wicklow all have a third or more of homes on gas. A gas combi swap is the usual job, fitted by an RGI. Median published price: €2,600.
- Oil counties. In Monaghan (75%), Cavan (69%), Wexford (67%) and Donegal (67%), oil is the main fuel. An oil combi or a standard oil boiler is fitted by an OFTEC-registered technician. Median published oil boiler price: €3,000. See oil combi boilers.
- No gas main. In Donegal, Wexford, Longford, Leitrim, Kerry, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Monaghan, Offaly, Galway, Cavan and Westmeath, under 10% of homes heat with gas. Check the road before anyone prices a gas combi.
- Solid fuel. Offaly has the highest share of homes on solid fuel, 35%, mostly peat. A move to a combi there usually means oil or a heat pump.
- Older stock. 42% of Irish homes were built before 1980. Those are the houses most likely to have a regular boiler with a cylinder and an attic tank, which is a conversion, not a swap: median €3,400. See converting to a combi.
Running cost by fuel
The same 10,000 kWh of heat a year, on SEAI's unit prices of 1 July 2026 with VAT and before standing charges (SEAI Domestic Fuels comparison). The calculator above takes your county and your own figure.
Top of each range shown: boilers at SEAI's 85% condensing efficiency, an electric combi at 100%, a heat pump at an SPF of 2.5. Gas 13.00c, kerosene 12.60c, bulk LPG 17.67c and electricity 34.38c a kWh.
Questions people ask
Do more Irish homes heat with oil or gas?
Oil. In the 2022 Census, 39% of households heated with oil and 33% with natural gas. Electricity was 12%.
Which county has the most gas heating?
Dublin, at 66% of homes, then Louth (40%) and Kildare (38%).
Which counties have almost no gas heating?
Donegal (1%), Wexford (1%), Longford (2%), Leitrim (2%), Kerry (2%) have the lowest shares. In those counties a combi is usually oil or LPG.
Can I get a gas combi if there's no gas main?
Not on natural gas. You'd need an LPG supply, an oil combi, an electric combi or a heat pump. Check with the installer before you get a gas price.
Is there a grant for a combi in my county?
No. In SEAI's own words: "We do not give grants for new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, such as gas or oil" (SEAI, read 29 October 2026). You may get the €700 heating controls grant if your home was built and occupied before 2011 (SEAI), and with a combi SEAI requires an extra heating zone as part of that work. The €2,000 boiler scrappage grant only applies when a heat pump replaces the boiler.
Where these numbers come from (4 public sources, checked 29 October 2026)
- SEAI's Domestic Fuels comparison: seai.ie/publications/Domestic-Fuel-Cost-Comparison.pdf
- CSO's Census 2022: cso.ie/en/census/census2022/census2022smallareapopul…
- SEAI's: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/h…
- SEAI: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/s…
Sources (1)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.
- as Electric Ireland publishes it: electricireland.ie
Want a fixed price for a new boiler?
Call 087 162 1846 between 8am and 8pm, or leave your number and one RGI-registered installer who covers your county rings you back.