Thermal consumption refers to the use of fossil and renewable fuels (liquids, gases and solids) for heating and other non-transport purposes.
The M&R thermal energy types are grouped into seven categories in the system:
This page contains guidance notes on different aspects of reporting thermal consumption.
For a description of every energy type and specific guidance on each, see energy types. See also MPRNs & GPRNs.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is composed mainly of methane. It is piped through the national gas transmission and distribution network directly to end users. There are two options for reporting natural gas consumption:
Natural gas is billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh) on a gross calorific value basis. In the same way that the system converts all other energy consumption reported (e.g. in litres, tonnes, etc.) to kWh of final energy consumption on a net calorific value basis using SEAI conversion factors, the system converts kWh (gross) of natural gas consumption to kWh (net).
Different types of heating oil are used in the public sector. However, the vast majority of heating oil used by public bodies is either kerosene or gasoil. If you are not sure which type of heating oil you use, you can
Taking readings from a meter is the best way of determining your consumption. If you do not have a meter, tanks can be dipped to calculate the quantity used over time. Alternatively, you could estimate the consumption from your bills. Remember though that the billed quantities won’t necessarily match your consumption in a specific year because your tank could have different levels at the start and end of the year. Only the fuel consumed in each calendar year should be reported.
To gain a better understanding of your oil use, you could consider asking for the tank to be filled to maximum capacity on the same date each year. That way, you will be able to calculate exactly how much oil has been used in the 12 month period. Alternatively, always ask for the tank to be filled to capacity at every delivery, that way you will always know how much you have used since the last fill.
You should keep a record of oil deliveries over time. This will assist you to better understand how oil consumption changes on a monthly basis throughout the year and you will be able to make progressively better estimates of how much was consumed between deliveries.
There are two options for reporting gasoil on the M&R system:
If it is not possible to disaggregate these two consumption categories, then the total consumption should be reported in whichever of the above categories dominates consumption (but not in both).
Combined heat & power (CHP) plants 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.
District heating refers to systems for distributing heat through insulated pipes in the form of hot water (sometimes steam). The heat is generated from one or more heat source, which can include boilers (fossil or renewable), CHP systems, heat pumps or geothermal systems. The hot water or steam is passed through heat exchangers to provide hot water and space heating in buildings.
The way you report district heating consumption depends on the configuration of the district heating network. The overall reporting principle is that the primary energy (e.g. biomass, gas) and the distributed heat energy should not be double counted.
You must report all quantities of solid biomass in accordance with the M&R guidance on reporting sustainable bioenergy.
You do not explicitly report the electricity consumption by, or the heat output from, heat pump systems. The electricity input to these systems is reported as part of your organisation’s overall electricity consumption – it is not explicitly reported as heat pump consumption.
Waste that is thermally treated or incinerated offsite should not be reported.
The final energy consumption used for heating is adjusted to account of degree-day variations from a 25-year average. Degree days give a measure of the effect of each year's temperature on energy requirements. For each day that the average temperature, as recorded at eight different Met Éireann weather stations, is one degree below the designated base temperature (15.5°C), one heating degree day is accumulated.