Younger Renters Most Exposed as Housing and Energy Insecurity Intersect
New research finds private renters and under-25s face highest risk of combined housing and energy precarity in Ireland
19 January 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
A significant minority of people in Ireland are living with the combined pressures of insecure housing and energy deprivation, according to a new research report supported by The Housing Agency’s Research Support Programme.
The report, Precarious Housing and Energy Conditions in Ireland, is authored by Dr Richard Waldron, Lecturer in Urban Planning at University College Dublin. It examines how housing insecurity and energy deprivation overlap, and the impact this has on households across different age groups and tenures.
The research finds that housing tenure is a key predictor of exposure to housing and energy precarity, even when factors such as income and employment are taken into account. Private renters are identified as the most vulnerable group, experiencing significantly higher levels of combined housing and energy insecurity than owner-occupiers or those in social housing.
While earlier studies have highlighted older people’s exposure to energy poverty, particularly the health impacts of living in cold homes, this report finds a different pattern when housing and energy risks are assessed together. Younger people emerge as the most exposed group. Those aged under 25 recorded precarity scores three times higher than people aged over 65.
The findings reflect the growing pressures faced by younger households in the private rented sector, where higher housing costs, shorter tenancies and poorer energy efficiency are more common. These conditions can leave renters with limited control over home upgrades, higher energy bills and increased financial stress.
The report concludes that policies addressing energy poverty and housing insecurity need to be more closely aligned, particularly for private renters and younger people, if the underlying drivers of housing and energy precarity are to be effectively addressed.
