This glossary provides brief explanations of key terms used in the M&R framework.
Activity metric is a measure of the activity that your organisation undertakes. It should be directly relevant to what drives energy consumption in the organisation.
Activity metric period is a period of years during which a public body uses the same activity metric to track its energy performance.
Admin user is a type of user on the M&R system. An admin user can view, edit, input and delete data in the system. They can also add, edit and delete users.
Annual energy statement is a publicly-available statement that summarises an organisation's progress towards the 2030 energy and climate targets. The M&R system generates an annual energy statement for every public body and school based on the data reported by them to SEAI each year. These statements are published by SEAI on its website.
Attributable consumption is the energy consumption that is attributable to your organisation. If your organisation is the sole occupier of a building, all the energy consumed in the building is attributable to your organisation. If you share the building with another organisation, only a portion of the total energy consumed in the building is attributable to your organisation.
Aviation gasoline or AVGAS is motor gasoline that has been processed especially for use in aviation engines.
Bioenergy is an umbrella term for energy produced from biological material including solid biomass, biogas and liquid biofuels.
Biodiesel is a biofuel produced from vegetable or animal oils, of diesel quality. Examples of biodiesels include those based on FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) and derived from pure plant oil (PPO), used cooking oil (UCO), and tallow. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a type of biodiesel. Vehicles can run on pure biodiesel but it is typically part of a blended product with fossil diesel. The percentage of the blend can vary.
Bioethanol is a biofuel produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste. Examples of bioethanol include ethanols produced from sugar beet, wheat, corn and sugar cane. Some vehicles run on pure bioethanol but it is typically part of a standard blended product with petrol.
Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from biomass and used for transport. They are renewable alternatives to fossil fuels in the transport sector. Biodiesel, bioethanol and sustainable aviation fuel are all biofuels.
Biogas is a mixture of methane (50-75%), carbon dioxide (25-45%) and small amounts of water (2-7%), as well as trace gases such as hydrogen sulphide, oxygen, nitrogen, ammonia and hydrogen. Anaerobic digestion plants convert feedstocks into biogas. Typical feedstocks include agricultural waste, municipal waste, industrial waste and energy crops. After some purification biogas can be combusted in boilers or CHP plants to provide heat and electricity. It can also be upgraded to natural gas quality, known as biomethane.
BioLPG is propane manufactured from renewable feedstocks. It is a renewable form of LPG that can be used for heat and transport. It is often sold as a blend with (fossil) LPG.
Bioliquids are liquid fuels produced from biomass that are used for purposes other than transport.
Biomethane is biogas that has been upgraded to natural gas quality.
Blend refers to an energy type that is a mixture of more than one fuel. Several of the energy types reportable via M&R are blends of a fossil fuel and a specific percentage of biofuel.
Building energy rating (BER) certificate is a certificate that rates a building's energy performance on a scale between A and G. You can search for a BER via the national BER register.
Business travel occurs when people travel from one place of work to another place of work as part of their work duties.
Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2 emissions) are greenhouse gas emissions that mainly come from the burning of fossil fuels. All references to CO2 emissions in M&R refer to energy-related CO2 emissions, i.e. CO2 arising from the combustion of fossil fuels.
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) refers to a method used to calculate and compare the emissions from different greenhouse gases based on their global warming potential. A quantity of a greenhouse gas can be converted to an equivalent amount of CO2 by multiplying the quantity of the gas by its global warming potential. For example, 1 tonne of CO2 equals 1 tCO2eq, 1 tonne of methane equals 28 tCO2eq and 1 tonne of nitrous oxide equals 265 tCO2eq.
Clean vehicles directive (CVD) refers to EU Directive 2019/1161, which was transposed into Irish legislation via SI 381 of 2021. All public bodies are required to report details of their vehicle fleet and vehicle procurements to SEAI via the M&R system.
Climate Action Mandate 2023, which published in box 10.2 in the 2023 Climate Action Plan, sets out obligations on all public bodies with respect to climate action, except local authorities, commercial semi-state bodies and the school sector.
Combined heat & power (CHP) refers to plants which are designed to produce both heat and electricity. CHP plants may generate for their own use only (auto-producer), may export electricity to the grid, or may also export heat via a district heating network.
Composite activity metric is an activity metric that is based on multiple discrete activities. A composite activity metric is defined by two or more activities, each of which is assigned a weighting which must sum to 100%.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is natural gas stored at high pressure. It is used for some transport applications in place of petrol, diesel or LPG.
Data verification assessment (DVA) is a key element in SEAI's approach for maintaining data quality. A DVA is an assessment of specific aspect(s) of a PSO’s submission via M&R. The PSO’s data is evaluated against data acceptability criteria. The outcome from a DVA is a formal classification of the PSO’s data submission.
Display energy certificate (DEC) is a certificate that rates a building's energy performance on a scale between A and G, based on its actual energy use. You can search for a BER via the national BER register.
District heating refers to systems for distributing heat through insulated pipes in the form of hot water (sometimes steam). Depending on the configuration of a district heating network, a PSO could import heat from a network for its own use and/or export heat to a network for use by others.
Electricity consumption refers to the use of electricity generated from fossil and renewable sources, including electricity used for heating and transport.
Electricity CO2 refers to CO2 emissions arising from the consumption of electricity, including electricity used for heating and transport.
Energy categories are groupings of energy types into which the M&R system aggregates energy consumption and CO2 emissions: electricity, natural gas, heating oils, LPG, solid fossil fuels, solid biomass, district heating, other thermal renewables, marked diesel (non thermal), transport fuels (fossil), transport fuels (biofuels). Note that energy categories are different to fuel groups, which are alternative groupings into which energy types are aggregated.
Energy efficiency baseline is the period from which your organisation's progress towards the 2030 energy efficiency target is tracked. Most organisations' energy efficiency baseline period is 2009, although some are earlier and some are later. In almost all cases, an organisation's energy efficiency baseline period is different to its greenhouse gas (GHG) baseline period.
Energy performance indicator (EnPI) is a way of measuring your organisation’s energy performance. An EnPI is calculated by dividing the total energy consumption by an activity metric. An EnPI may also be referred to as specific energy consumption.
EU ETS, or EU emissions trading scheme, is a cap and trade system through which around 10,000 large emitters of greenhouse gases pay for their emissions. A very small number of public sector facilities are participants in the EU ETS.
Final energy consumption or total final consumption (TFC) is the energy used by public bodies and other final consuming sectors of the economy, e.g. industry, transport, residential, etc. It excludes the energy used in the energy sector, e.g. for electricity generation, oil refining, etc.
Fossil CO2 refers to CO2 emissions arising from your organisation's consumption of fossil fuels, including for heating (thermal) and transport.
Fossil CO2 target refers to the maximum level of fossil CO2 emissions below which your organisation must operate in 2030, i.e., to achieve the target fossil CO2 in 2030 must be less than or equal to this amount.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable, hydrocarbon-based fuels formed over a very long period from the remains of living organisms. They include natural gas, gasoil, fuel oils, LPG, fossil diesel, petrol, kerosene, coal and peat.
Fuel groups are groupings of energy types into which the M&R system aggregates energy consumption and CO2 emissions: electricity, natural gas, oil, coal & peat, bioenergy, other RE (renewable energy). Note that fuel groups are different to energy categories, which are alternative groupings into which energy types are aggregated.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) employee refers to one full year of work by one person. The number of FTE employees can be calculated by dividing the total hours worked by the average annual hours worked in a full-time job.
Gasoil is a fossil fuel used as a heating oil or in vehicles such as agricultural machinery and marine engines.
Global warming potential (GWP) describes the relative potency of a GHG. The larger the GWP, the more potent a GHG is from a global warming perspective. CO2 is the reference gas and has a 100-year GWP of 1. The GWPs for methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are emitted from burning fossil fuels, are 28 and 265 respectively. This means that 1 tonne of methane emissions is equivalent to 28 tonnes of CO2 and 1 tonne of nitrous oxide emissions is equivalent to 265 tonnes of CO2. These equivalent amounts are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), i.e. 1 tonne CO2 = 1 tCO2eq; 1 tonne methane = 28 tCO2eq; 1 tonne nitrous oxide = 265 tCO2eq.
Gigawatt-hour (MWh) is a unit of energy. 1 GWh = 1,000 MWh = 1,000,000 kWh.
GPRN or gas point registration number is a unique reference number assigned to every gas point on the natural gas network. A gas point is a point where gas is off-taken from the gas network system, measured by a meter and consumed by an end user. Each individual gas point has its own GPRN. GPRNs have up to 7 digits.
GPRN natural gas refers to natural gas consumption that is reported on M&R by entering and validating one or more GPRN(s). The consumption data corresponding to the GPRN(s) is provided to SEAI by the gas meter operator (Gas Networks Ireland). There is no need for you to manually enter the amount of gas consumed for GPRN natural gas. If you wish to self-report the amount of gas consumed you can do so by choosing non-GPRN natural gas.
GMPRN or a group MPRN is a unique reference number assigned to a number of connection points for unmetered public lighting. Each unmetered public lighting connection point is allocated a technical MPRN (TMPRN).
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the six gases listed in the Kyoto Protocol, i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). CO2, methane and nitrous oxide are all emitted from the use (burning) of fossil fuels. Different GHGs have different effects on the Earth's warming.
Greenhouse gas baseline (GHG baseline) is the period from which your organisation's progress towards the 2030 GHG emissions reduction targets are tracked. Most organisations' GHG baseline period is 2016-2018 (average). In almost all cases, an organisation's GHG baseline period is different to its energy efficiency baseline period.
Grid electricity is electricity purchased from the electricity network (grid)
Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a form of biodiesel that is chemically identical to diesel. It can be manufactured from renewable feedstocks and used for heat and transport. Vehicles can run on pure HVO but it is typically sold as blended product with fossil diesel. The percentage of the blend can vary.
IATA airport code or IATA location identifier is a three-letter code allocated to airports around the world by the International Air Transport Association, e.g. Dublin = ‘DUB’, Cork = ‘ORK’, Shannon = ‘SNN’.
Jet kerosene, or jet fuel or jet A1 kerosene, is a fossil fuel used for aviation gas turbine engines.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy. Electricity and natural gas consumption is billed in kilowatt-hours. Other units of energy consumption (e.g. litres of oil or diesel, kilogrammes of biomass) can be converted to kilowatt-hours using conversion factors.
Kilogramme of CO2 (kgCO2) is a unit of CO2 emissions.
Kilotonne of CO2 (ktCO2) is a unit of CO2 emissions. 1 ktCO2 = 1,000 tCO2 = 1,000,000 kgCO2.
Kerosene is a fossil fuel used as a heating oil in boilers.
Landfill gas generation is electricity generated from the combustion of the gases produced from decomposing waste in landfills.
Lifecycle emissions or well-to-wheel emissions are the emissions that arise from the extraction, processing and refining of a fuel, as well as from burning it at its point of use. The latter are referred to as tailpipe emissions.
Light, medium and heavy fuel oils are a range of heavier, higher viscosity heating oils typically only used in very large ‘industrial’ boilers. Very few PSOs use these oils. They have minimum storage temperatures slightly above ambient.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a fossil fuel manufactured in oil and gas processing facilities. It consists of propane and/or butane gases. It can be purchased by volume (in litres , for larger quantities) or by weight (in kilogrammes, for small cylinders).
Listed end-user is the legal entity or individual that is named under the supply address on the electricity or natural gas bill. It should include the name of the organisation in the first line.
Marked diesel (non-thermal) is gasoil that is used for non-thermal applications, typically transport.
Marine gasoil, or marked diesel, is gasoil that is used for marine engines. It is different from marine diesel oil.
Meter boundary refers to the boundary point at which a PSO’s electricity consumption (imports) from the public electricity network, and its electricity exports to the public electricity network (if any) are metered.
Megawatt-hour (MWh) is a unit of energy. 1 MWh = 1,000 kWh.
Mode refers to the breakdown of energy consumption and emissions between thermal energy (heat), transport fuels and electricity. When consumption is presented by mode, any electricity that is used for heat and transport is counted as electricity, not as thermal energy or transport fuels.
MPRN or meter point reference number is a unique 11-digit number assigned to every electricity connection and meter in the country.
MPRN electricity refers to electricity consumption that is reported on M&R by entering and validating one or more MPRN(s). The consumption data corresponding to the MPRN(s) is provided to SEAI by the electricity meter operator (ESB Networks). There is no need for you to manually enter the amount of electricity consumed for MPRN electricity. If you wish to self-report the amount of electricity consumed you can do so by choosing non-MPRN electricity.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is composed mainly of methane. It is piped through a national gas transmission and distribution network directly to end users.
Non-GPRN natural gas refers to natural gas consumption that is self-reported on M&R by entering the amount of gas consumed in a year.
Non-MPRN electricity refers to electricity consumption that is self-reported on M&R by entering the amount of electricity consumed in a year.
Normalised EnPI is a way of expressing an energy performance indicator (EnPI) over a period of time. The normalised EnPI is set at 100 at the start of the period and values for subsequent years are expressed relative to 100.
Onsite RE generation is renewable electricity that is generated within the meter boundary of a PSO electricity end-user. Typically, the generation is from small solar PV or wind energy systems.
Offsite charging of EVs refers to the charging of electric vehicles (EVs) at facilities that are not PSO electricity end-users.
Other solid biomass is a generic energy type that can be reported via M&R. It can be used to report biomass consumption that does not correspond to any of the specific biomass energy types reportable via M&R.
Peat briquettes are a manufactured product made by compressing peat.
Petrol (fossil) refers to the fossil-fuel component of petrol. It is very rarely sold or consumed as a standalone fuel. It is typically blended with relatively small quantities of bioethanol.
Petrol refers to the petrol used in nearly all petrol-engined road vehicles, in some mobile plant and equipment, and in some marine engines. It is a blend of petrol (fossil) and small quantities of bioethanol. It is clear in colour.
Primary energy or total primary energy requirement (TPER) accounts for energy that is consumed and/or lost in transformation, transmission and distribution processes. It is calculated by applying primary energy conversion factors, which vary by fuel type, to final energy consumption values.
Primary energy conversion factors are factors for converting quantities of final energy consumption to quantities of primary energy. The conversion factors for thermal and transport fuels typically remain unchanged over time. The conversion factor for electricity changes from year to year as the efficiency of the electricity system changes. These changes can have a material impact on energy savings calculated via M&R.
Primary user (primary contact) is an M&R system user that is the designated primary point of contact in your organisation for all matters relating to M&R. The primary contact can be a read-only user, a standard user or an admin user.
PSO electricity end-user is an electricity connection for a facility or other end user that is supplied with electricity for consumption. While there may be some electricity generation within the meter boundary and some electricity exports to the public electricity network, the primary function of the connection is to supply electricity to the PSO. Most electricity connections in the public sector are PSO electricity end-users, including those for buildings, campuses, public lighting networks, vehicle charging and water services facilities.
PSO electricity generator is a connection for a power generating facility. While there may be some electricity consumption within the meter boundary (house load, etc.) and some electricity imports from the public electricity network, the primary function of the connection is to export electricity from the generator to the public electricity network.
Public body (PB) is an organisation, other than a standalone school, that is expected to report data to SEAI via the M&R system.
Public sector organisation (PSO) is a collective term used for all organisations that are expected to report data to SEAI via the M&R system. Collectively, public bodies and standalone schools are referred to as public sector organisations.
Read-only user is a type of user on the M&R system. A read-only user can view data only. They cannot edit, input or delete data.
Renewable energy is energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. Examples include wind energy, solar energy and sustainable bioenergy.
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is an obligation scheme administered by the National Oil Reserves Agency. The RTFO places an obligation on suppliers of road diesel and petrol to ensure that a proportion of the fuel they place on the market in Ireland is renewable.
Reporting cycle refers to the annual cycles through which organisations are required to report data via M&R. Each reporting cycle is named with reference to the recently completed calendar year. For example, the 2021 reporting cycle commenced on 6 December 2021 and concluded on 29 April 2022. During the 2021 reporting cycle organisations reported data for 2021 and, where appropriate, for previous years.
Reporting year is the most recently completed calendar year for which organisations are expected to report data to SEAI.
Road diesel (fossil) refers to the fossil-fuel component of road diesel. It is very rarely sold or consumed as a standalone fuel. It is typically blended with relatively small quantities of biodiesel and consumed as road diesel (standard spec).
Road diesel (standard spec) refers the diesel used in nearly all diesel-engined road vehicles. It is a blend of road diesel (fossil) and small quantities of biodiesel. It is clear in colour.
Self-reporting energy consumption means entering a single annual consumption value for a specific energy type for an entire organisation for a year.
Solar PV (photovoltaic) technology converts the sun's energy into electricity.
Solar thermal technology converts the sun's energy into useful heat energy.
Standalone schools are schools that do not come under the aegis of education & training boards (ETBs). Standalone schools are expected to report as standalone entities via M&R.
Standard user is a type of user on the M&R system. A standard user can view, edit, input and delete data in the system. They cannot add, edit or delete users.
Statement on compliance with the Climate Action Mandate must be completed annually by all public bodies to which the Climate Action Mandate applies. The Statement comprises responses to 32 questions and a summary statement. Each question corresponds to a specific section in the Mandate. The Statement must be formally submitted via the M&R system by the public body's Climate & Sustainability Champion.
Tailpipe emissions or tank-to-wheel emissions are the emissions that arise from burning the fuel at the point of use, e.g. in a boiler, in a vehicle. These are the emissions that are generally counted for the purposes of Ireland’s emissions inventory and for the public sector targets.
Thermal CO2 is fossil CO2 emissions arising from the consumption of thermal energy . It excludes CO2 arising from consumption of electricity for heating.
Thermal energy types are fossil and renewable fuels (liquids, gases and solids) that are used for heating and other non-transport purposes.
Tonne of CO2 (tCO2) is a unit of CO2 emissions. 1 tCO2 = 1,000 kgCO2.
Total CO2 refers to CO2 emissions arising from your organisation's consumption of fossil fuels and electricity. Note that all references to total CO2 are to energy-related CO2 emissions only.
Total CO2 target refers to the maximum level of total CO2 emissions below which your organisation must operate in 2030, i.e., to achieve the target total CO2 in 2030 must be less than or equal to this amount.
Total useful floor area (TUFA) is the method of measuring building area used for the preparation of Display Energy Certificates (DECs).
Transport CO2 is fossil CO2 emissions arising from the consumption of transport fuels. It excludes CO2 arising from consumption of electricity for transport purposes.
Transport energy or transport fuels are fossil and renewable fuels (liquids and gases) that are used in vehicles of all types.
Validation of an MPRN (or GPRN) refers to the annual process whereby your organisation confirms that the MPRN (GPRN) entered in the M&R system is a valid MPRN (GPRN), that some or all of the energy consumption associated with the MPRN (GPRN) is attributable to your organisation and that your organisation has consent for ESB Networks (Gas Networks Ireland) to disclose consumption data for the MPRN (GPRN) to SEAI.
Weather-adjustment is an adjustment to thermal energy consumption (including electricity used for heat) to account for variations in average temperature from year to year. The impact is to adjust downward thermal consumption for years that were colder than average and to adjust upward thermal consumption for years that were warmer than average. Adjustment factors are calculated for each year based on Met Éireann weather data.
Wood briquettes are a manufactured product made by compressing wood particles.
Wood chips are a fuel comprising small pieces of wood that can be used in boilers for space and water heating.
Wood pellets are a manufactured product comprising wood shavings and sawdust that have been formed into pellets.