New poll shows public want energy prioritised for housing and essential services, not data centres

New poll shows public want energy prioritised for housing and essential services, not data centres

People see data centre growth as threat to Ireland’s energy and water supplies, and ecosystems, and want Big Tech to be regulated

Poll also reveals strong public concern about climate change

New polling, conducted by Savanta, and commissioned by Beyond Fossil Fuels, has revealed that people in Ireland overwhelmingly want Ireland’s energy supply to be prioritised for housing and public services over data centres [1]. The polling revealed strong public awareness that data centres already account for a large share of national energy consumption in Ireland and revealed strong public concern regarding the threat that further data centre growth poses to Ireland’s water supplies and surrounding ecosystems. There is a strong public desire for regulation of the data centre industry, for a requirement that new data centres be powered by renewable energy, and for the Government to establish specific social criteria for prioritising energy distribution. The polling underlines the need for a moratorium on new data centre connections in accordance with Ireland’s climate law [2]. 

Commenting on the polling results, Rosi Leonard, data centre campaigner with Friends of the Earth said: 

The Government’s failure to regulate data centres is placing massive strain on our energy grid, using up energy that is desperately needed to power our homes and public services. This polling shows that the general public shares Friends of the Earth’s concerns about energy and resource use by data centres and wants to see Government action to address it. It’s very clear that people want to see housing and public services prioritised for access to energy. If the Irish Government chooses to protect communities and prioritise energy for housing and essential services by putting the brakes on Big Tech’s power grab, they will have the support of the public behind them. We’re urging the Government to bring in a moratorium on new data centre connections in accordance with the climate law”.

Some key findings of the polling showed that, in Ireland:

• Housing is the most preferred sector for energy prioritisation in shortages, with 37% of respondents choosing it as their favourite, closely followed by public services (32% of respondents choose it as their favourite) and then by agriculture & food supply (19% of respondents). This means that 88% of respondents choose either housing, public services or agriculture & food supply as their most preferred sector for energy prioritisation in shortages. Data centres are overwhelmingly seen as the lowest priority, highlighting strong public support for essential services over commercial and digital sectors.
• Public perception is that data centres already account for a large share of national energy consumption, with more than four in ten saying they contribute a great deal. Looking ahead, over half expect their impact will be even greater in the future.
• Most respondents are worried that new data centres could affect local water supplies, surrounding ecosystems, and other industries, while only a small minority are unconcerned about their water demand. Concern over data centre water usage dominates community opinion, with more than three quarters expressing worry about potential impact on their water needs.
• Nearly nine in ten respondents agree that companies should be required to disclose their energy sources, total use, and environmental impact. Over eight in ten respondents support requiring companies to disclose both which data centres they use and what services they use them for. 
• 86% of people agree that new data centres should only be constructed if they will be powered by renewable energy sources.
• Public opinion strongly favours establishing specific social criteria for prioritising energy distribution, with more than four in five respondents agreeing that government should play a decisive role in managing energy shortages.
• Majority opinion favours granting priority access to renewable energy for sectors like transport and building heating that enable decarbonisation, with just over three in five respondents agreeing and only a small minority disagreeing.
• Almost two thirds of respondents report being extremely or moderately concerned about climate change, while only a small minority are not concerned.

The findings above are all based on polling of a nationally representative sample of people in Ireland. Polling was also conducted in four other European countries, namely Spain, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom [1]. When comparing the opinions of people in Ireland to those polled in the other European countries, the following findings were revealed:

• Irish respondents are most likely across the European polling to have heard of data centres already prior to the survey at 72%.
• Respondents in Ireland were notably more likely than those in the other countries to state that data centres were contributing to, and would continue to contribute to, a great deal of overall energy consumption.
• Irish respondents are most adamant that new data centres should only be constructed if they will be powered by renewable energy sources, with 86% of respondents in favour.

The polling was conducted as households across Ireland continue to face among the highest electricity prices in the EU. Crippling energy prices have forced almost 300,000 households into arrears on their electricity bills [3]. Meanwhile, energy use by data centres is growing at an unprecedented rate [4]. According to CSO figures, in 2024, data centres were already responsible for 22% of Ireland’s electricity demand [5]. The rapid expansion of data centres has raised serious security of supply concerns for the Irish electricity grid, with experts even warning that the pressure they are putting on the grid is also affecting the provision of new housing [6].

ENDS

Notes

1. Beyond Fossil Fuels in cooperation with Friends of the Earth Ireland and various other organisations commissioned polling about citizen views on data centre impacts on energy, water and economy. The polling was conducted by Savanta in Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom in September 2025.The sample for this research consisted of nationally representative samples in five European countries: Ireland (1001), the United Kingdom (1001), Spain (1022), Germany (1002) and Switzerland (1006). A total of 5032 individuals participated in the survey, all aged +18, 51% women, 49% men. The participants provide a representative view of adults across all countries included in the research. The key findings described in this press release are the country specific findings for Ireland - based on data from the respondents in Ireland. 
2. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and drinking water has also recommended that states and international institutions should promote a moratorium on the development of data centres and provide clear information on their water and energy consumption and the risks that they pose to climate change, the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems, the human rights of impoverished populations and the survival of vulnerable productive sectors. See point 106, page 18 here: https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/60/30.
3. According to the latest CRU statistics on arrears and disconnections, 13% of domestic electricity customers in Ireland, amounting to 298,336 customers, are in arrears. See the full statistics here: https://cruie-live-96ca64acab2247eca8a850a7e54b-5b34f62.divio-media.com/documents/Arrears_and-NPA-disconnection-update-June-2025.PD
4. Data published by the CSO shows that electricity demand from data centres has increased by 412% since 2015, which is the first year for which the CSO has published data-centre specific demand. See https://www.seai.ie/sites/default/files/publications/energy-in-ireland-2024.pdf
5. According to CSO figures, in 2024, data centres were already responsible for 22% of Ireland’s electricity demand. See here: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-dcmec/datacentresmeteredelectricityconsumption2024/
6. See more on this here: https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2025/0821/1529518-govt-warned-of-rising-household-bills-as-data-centres-strain-grid/