Irish datacentres have increased household bills by hundreds of euros, report finds

Energy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report. Ireland’s growing number of datacentres last year used 22% of the country’s electricity, more than all urban homes combined , according to the Central Statistics Office. The equivalent figure in the US and UK is 6% . The centres have “drained” €715m (£620m) from the Irish economy and increased household bills by a cumulative average of €360 between 2015 and 2023, said the report commissioned by Friends of the Earth Ireland and Beyond Fossil Fuels. It argued that Irish households have been subsidising big tech via a “hidden data centre tax” on their electricity bills. Jill McArdle, of Beyond Fossil Fuels, said: “The Irish case should be a warning for Europe: letting big tech expand datacentres unchecked will have massive ripple effects on the economy and European households. Combined with fossil gas, this creates a toxic mix – driving up energy prices for people already struggling through another energy crisis.” Datacentre industry representatives disputed the findings and said the sector boosted the economy. The Irish government has broadly welcomed the expansion , calling datacentres “a core enabler of our technology-rich innovation economy”, and denies they create a stealth tax on consumers. …