Ireland’s Most Energy-Efficient Business Counties

Running a business in Ireland is expensive. Energy bills are one of the biggest overheads for businesses across the country, and the building you operate from has more impact on those bills than most business owners realise.

New research from Procure.ie analysed at 80,526 non-domestic building energy ratings (BER) published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which measures the energy performance of commercial and public buildings such as offices and warehouses across Ireland between 2009 and 2025, to find out which counties are leading the way.

The Most Energy-Efficient Counties

Counties were then ranked by how many of their buildings achieved an A rating, the highest score a building can get.

Kildare came out on top by a landslide, with 7% of its buildings (235 out of 3,355) rated A. That’s almost double the national average of 3.6%. The county has become a hub for modern, energy-efficient commercial development, with planners recently approving a €3 billion data-centre campus by Herbata at Naas, and Kildare’s pharma and semiconductor sites being built to high standards.

Three counties share second place, each with 5% of their commercial buildings A-rated. County Dublin leads the trio with 296 out of 5,915 buildings achieving an A rating. Meath follows with 134 out of 2,672 buildings A-rated. The new 21,000 sq ft Thrive Centre of Business Excellence opened in September 2025, offering dedicated climate action services and adding to the county’s growing reputation for energy-smart business.

Westmeath completes the joint second-place trio, also at 5% (84 out of 1,684 buildings). In September 2025, Westmeath County Council signed contracts to upgrade its three biggest buildings (Áras an Chontae in Mullingar, the Civic Centre in Athlone, and Athlone Regional Sports Centre) to high energy-efficiency standards. Ballymore Group has also announced plans for a new sustainable town in Athlone, designed for 100,000 residents by 2040, with 90% of its energy coming from renewables.

Longford (4.1%) and Laois (4%) rank in third and fourth place respectively, showing that even smaller counties can make a massive impact. Longford County Council received €793,822 from the EU Just Transition Fund to develop the Longford Enterprise and Energy Centre, and Laois County Council recently signed a multi-million-euro funding agreement with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to retrofit buildings across the Midlands.

The Rebel County rounds out the top five, with 291 out of 7,263 commercial buildings achieving an A rating. Cork has more commercial buildings in this dataset than any county outside Dublin, and it is one of Ireland’s biggest business counties for a reason. Pharma, tech, and manufacturing companies have all planted roots there.

At the other end of the list, Limerick City has the highest proportion of G-rated commercial buildings in the country at 17%, making it the worst-performing county in Ireland. Kilkenny and Sligo are not far behind at 16%, with Louth and Monaghan following at 14%. A lot of this comes down to older heritage buildings and ageing warehouses along the Dublin-Belfast route.

For more information and to view the full research, please visit: https://www.procure.ie/irelands-most-energy-efficient-counties/

Procure.ie analysed 80,526 non-domestic BER audits by county, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), covering everything from offices and warehouses to hotels, schools, hospitals and shops across Ireland between 2009 and 2025, to find out which counties are the most energy efficient.

About Procure.ie

Procure.ie are Ireland’s largest business utility consultants, specialising in providing strategic guidance and solutions to businesses across the country. Procure.ie offers comprehensive services ensuring you get the best deal across energy and merchant services.

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