A Top-down data analysis was completed using data from national authority databases, as listed below.
The baseline year selected for the top-down method was 2018, due to the availability of the 2018 National Energy Balance data. The national energy data was apportioned to a county level based on population figures from the most recent census. The data represents the energy profile of an average townland (usage by sector and energy type etc.).
A Bottom-up data analysis was used to analyse local data. This was collected directly from the residents and businesses of Greystones/Delgany through online surveys and building audits. The baseline year selected for the bottom-up method was 2020 as this was when the energy audits and online survey responses were collated.
Bottom-up analysis can provide a clearer picture of actual fuel consumption and energy usage by sector within a region. However, this is dependent on the number of responses to online surveys, paper surveys and energy audits. This report includes the data collated from both top down and bottom-up methods, a summary of which is illustrated through a series of graphs in Section 6.0.