Dáil protest over data centres as families face soaring bills

“Energy for Who?” was the question shouted outside the Dáil this week, as campaigners warned that families face crippling bills while big tech’s data centres devour Ireland’s electricity supply.

The protest took place at 1pm on Tuesday and was organised by Friends of the Earth with backing from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, community organisations and grassroots groups nationwide.

Political representatives from several parties attended, while the rally also drew interest from international media, including the New York Times and Italian state broadcaster RAI.

Picture credit: Friends of the Earth

Campaigners accused the Government of making political choices that favour “energy-guzzling” data centres while ordinary households struggle.

Friends of the Earth is calling for an Energy Guarantee Scheme in next week’s Budget 2026 to ensure every household has access to an affordable baseline of energy to meet essential needs.

Speaking at the protest, Rosi Leonard, data centre campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said energy prices were being driven not just by global markets but by Government policy.

“Ireland’s crippling energy prices are not solely the result of energy market fluctuations, they’re down to political choices that the Government is making,” she said.

“Why are energy-guzzling data centres enjoying continued support while households are struggling to access the energy they need for their basic wellbeing and everyday life?

“Data centres have been the largest driver of energy demand by a significant margin over the last decade, rising over 400 percent in ten years.

“But while households are again facing higher energy bills this winter, data centres aren’t seeing comparable hikes.

“The companies who have done the most to strain the grid are proportionally paying the least towards fixing it.”

Clare O’Connor, heat programme coordinator with Friends of the Earth, said the protest was about “highlighting people’s right to energy and demanding energy justice”.

She added: “Families are again facing a winter of impossible bills while data centres get special treatment.

“This must end.

“We’re calling on the Government to put people before polluters, communities before big corporations, and long-term climate solutions over short-term profits.”

Picture credit: Friends of the Earth

Youth climate activist and tenant Eoghan Connolly shared his personal experience of growing up in cold, damp flats near the city centre.

“In the winter it was so cold inside you could almost see your breath, and we often couldn’t afford to turn on the heating. Mould was a frequent issue, eating away at the walls and making the home unsafe.

“My experience isn’t unique – it’s the reality for working-class, marginalised communities across Ireland. And at the very same time, the Government is taking away energy credits from those who need them most.

“Data centres use more electricity than every urban home in Ireland combined. In the Dublin-Meath region alone, they take nearly half the grid.”

Dr Fiadh Tubridy of Maynooth University’s Just Housing Project and Community Action Tenants Union told the protest that bad housing conditions and poor maintenance by landlords were contributing to energy poverty, poor health and higher carbon emissions.

She said communities needed to come together “to force the Government to invest in public housing and to force private landlords to properly maintain and upgrade their properties.”

According to Friends of the Earth, almost 300,000 households are now in arrears on their electricity bills.

The organisation expressed concern that the energy regulator has proposed reducing grid costs for data centres while increasing them for households, at the same time as the Fuel Allowance remains frozen at 2022 levels.

Campaigners are urging Budget 2026 to include an Energy Guarantee Scheme, an expanded Fuel Allowance, and more funding for retrofitting the coldest homes, particularly social housing and rental properties.