Ireland’s primary energy and related CO₂ emissions fell by 1.2% and 3.8% in 2013 according to a new report, Energy in Ireland 1990-2013, published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Improved building energy regulations, along with the success of building energy rating and the better energy upgrade programmes, means the average energy consumption of an Irish home is now a third lower than in 1990. Carbon emissions per unit of electricity generated are also now just over half of what they were in in 1990. Speaking at the launch of the report, Dr Brian Motherway of SEAI said the figures are "good indicators" of progress towards greater energy sustainability.  He explained that last year, over a fifth of Ireland’s electricity came from renewable sources, displacing €300 million of fossil fuel imports. Motherway made reference to the €6.7 billion spent in 2013 on importing energy from elsewhere into Ireland. “There is so much to gain if we can reduce the exposure of our energy system to imported fossil fuels, at prices largely outside our control, and with their associated environmental and security implications,” he said. “This report reminds us of the challenges that drive our policy, but also of the progress that Ireland’s citizens, businesses and policymakers are already delivering," Motherway added. "It can inform our societal discussions about the increasingly important role energy plays in all our lives, and help us to collectively make the right choices to put energy firmly on a sustainable pathway.” A full copy of the Energy in Ireland Report 2014 can be found at www.seai.ie