Cost of Living

Property prices fall in three months to March for first time in a decade

Housing prices fell in the first three months of the year, the first time in a decade there had been a drop in the first quarter of the year.

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Gallery

Revealed: how much the average house price is in your county

More first-time buyers chasing an ever more limited supply of homes mean that property market supply problems are getting even worse.

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Premium

Is the new heat pump in your house also pumping up your electricity bills?

Energy-efficient heat pumps have been heralded as one of our greatest weapons in the worst energy crisis since the 1970s. By installing one of these devices, homeowners can play their part fighting climate change and in helping Europe eliminate its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

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Taiseach Leo Varadkar says Ireland is looking at proposals on how its neutrality ‘may evolve’

Tánaiste Micheál Martin is developing proposals on how Irish neutrality “may evolve”, the Taoiseach has said.

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Gallery

Firms face fines under EU anti-greenwashing law over false claims

Companies will have to back up their environmental claims or face fines and class action law suits under new EU rules.

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Premium

David Chance Opinion Watch out for big money using banks crisis to downgrade green ambitions

Governments across the world are pumping billions in taxpayer funds into the financial system as it once again threatens to spiral out of control.

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Gallery

Premium

Owners of thousands of Airbnb properties in rental hotspots have no planning permission

Thousands of Airbnb hosts with properties in areas with some of the highest rents in Ireland have not applied for planning permission to run short-term lets.

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302 tenants ‘refusing to move out’ due to lack of emergency accommodation

Local authorities are advising some people who have been served eviction notices to remain in their homes due to the lack of emergency accommodation, housing charity Threshold has said.

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Premium

Jody Corcoran Opinion More than just bikes and a bag for life – the Green Party have power and they’re using it

It was the former Progressive Democrats leader Mary Harney who said: “Your worst day in government is better than your best day in opposition.”

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Gallery

Breakfast came at a premium in 2022 as cereals and eggs saw largest price hikes

Cereals, eggs and milk drove price rises for agricultural products across the EU last year, Eurostat has found.

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Almost all Irish consumers will cut spending as cost-of-living squeeze tightens

Surging living costs have forced almost eight out of 10 Irish people to changed their spending habits in the past six months. Nearly half are fearful about the state of their personal finances.

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Editorial Opinion Government risks looking disconnected over high energy bills

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned energy firms this week that if they fail to pass on discounts to householders, his response “won’t be just about polite encouragement”.

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Fourth energy credit for householders this year is ‘a possibility’ – Leo Varadkar

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that a fourth energy credit is ‘a possibility” towards the end of this year as the Government looks for ways to offset the cost of living crisis.

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Meath pensioner ‘ready to fight’ after €1,678.65 energy bill from Electric Ireland lands on doorstep

A pensioner from Co Meath believes he has received the highest domestic electricity bill “in the world” and said he “will not pay it”.

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Woman aged over 100 shocked by electricity bill demand for nearly €1,000, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is told

A woman aged over 100 has been shocked to receive an electricity bill for nearly €1,000.

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‘People worry about using hot water for a shower’ – warns SVP as energy poverty impacts households

Households are building up “significant amounts” of energy debt and are juggling between paying for energy and food, a charity has warned.

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Greencoat Renewables adds to portfolio and cash generation

Wind energy firm Greencoat Renewables significantly increased its cash generation in 2022 despite energy output coming below target.

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Tomato shortage could last until May due to high energy costs, Irish shoppers warned

The shortage of tomatoes affecting supermarkets could last until May due to high energy costs, Ireland largest tomato grower has warned.

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Letters to the Editor Opinion Handing over our housing needs to the private sector will only limit supply and push prices up

I have no difficulty sympathising with those calling for a rent freeze, it sounds like a good thing to do.

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Government under fire over €1.3bn cost-of-living package amid claims renters, mortgage holders and workers left out

The Government has come under fire over its €1.3bn cost-of-living package amid claims the supports do not help renters, mortgage holders or workers.

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Editorial Opinion Latest cost-of-living measures will disappoint many, but it is a tough balancing act given international uncertainty

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure workers are treated like assets, not costs,” Hillary Clinton once pledged.

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Despite having second highest GDP, Ireland ranks below EU neighbours on environmental issues and economy – here’s why

Ireland falls below most of its closest EU neighbours on environmental standards and economic health, new research shows.

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€200 bonus payment for pensioners, carers and people with disabilities to ease cost of living crisis

All social welfare recipients will receive a €200 bonus payment under a fresh round of cost of living supports agreed by the Government set to total €1.25bn

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Low VAT rate for restaurants but not hotels being considered in government’s new cost-of-living package

Keeping a lower VAT rate for restaurants but not hotels is being examined by the Government.

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Premium

‘People are stuck renting which will cause generational poverty’ – businessman locked out of property market

A businessman left “locked out” of the property market says housing inequality means he may never again own a family home, or be in a position to assist his children one day.

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Fuel prices to creep back up this summer as excise duty cuts are phased out

The price of fuel at the pumps is set to rise in stages over the summer months , as the cuts in excise duty are gradually phased out under new proposals.

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Gas prices plunge on the markets, but price for consumers still at record highs

The gap between wholesale gas prices and the bills being charged to households and businesses has widened , with European natural gas futures now at a 17-month low.

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Help-to-Buy and First Home schemes ‘fuelling rising prices’ of new houses

Government policies have been cited as the main reason the cost of new houses is rising faster than those of second-hand homes.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says it won’t be possible to offset rise in cost of living for everyone

It won’t be possible to offset the rise in the cost of living for everyone, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil.

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New cost-of-living package will be last one before the next budget, says Finance Minister Michael McGrath

The next cost of living package must be “affordable” and will be the last one before the next budget, Michael McGrath has said.