May 17, 2021 4:37 pm The use of peat as an energy source fell by 34% in 2020, according to new data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The authority has today (Monday, May 17) published its Provisional Energy Balance 2020, which shows the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on energy use and related CO2 emissions for 2020. Energy-related CO2 emissions fell 12.4%, or 4.6 million tonnes. This means that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used for energy were the lowest since 1993 and were 31% below 2005 levels. This marks the biggest annual reduction in CO2 emissions since the depth of the recession in 2009. Report’s main findings The main findings of the report show that overall energy use fell by 9.2%, relative to an economic contraction of 5.4%.