Daire McCoy

Daire McCoy was an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment from November 2016 until February 2022. His research in mainly empirical in nature and involves the use of randomised-controlled trials and analysis of secondary data to examine a range of issues related to de-carbonisation and the reduction of energy consumption. This work involves collaboration with industry and government. Current topics include longer term impacts of energy efficiency upgrades; technology adoption amongst households; fuel poverty; and policy design and evaluation.
Background
Daire holds a PhD in Economics from Trinity College Dublin, a BSc in Statistics and a Master’s degree in Economics, both from University College Dublin. Prior to joining the LSE, Daire worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin, Ireland. He has collaborated extensively with academics from other disciplines, industry, government and the charity sector. During his PhD he was a member of the SFI Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems (SEES) cluster, a collaboration between engineers, economists and mathematicians, with significant industry and government involvement. During his post-doc he was affiliated with the SFI Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) Centre, a cluster of key academic and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.
Research Interests
- Energy and Environmental Economics;
- Energy Efficiency;
- Applied Econometrics.
Research
Research - 2022
This research uses a novel experiment to elicit the willingness to accept of 2,430 nationally representative UK households for smart meter installation. Randomized information treatments allow for assessment of the impact on adoption and willingness to accept of oft-cited market failures, namely imperfect information asymmetries and diffusion externalities Read more

Research - 2021
This article presents a critical assessment of 40 years of research that may be brought under the umbrella of energy... Read more

The distributional impact of the low-carbon transition is an increasingly important topic both for academics and policymakers. Quantifying where the... Read more

Research - 2020
This paper describes an experiment on a nationally representative sample of UK households that aimed to quantify resistance to smart meter adoption and test for the existence of commonly cited market failures that inhibit the adoption of energy-saving technologies. The authors measured if households would adopt a smart meter without financial compensation and, for those households unwilling to do so, the subsidy level that would be necessary to persuade them. Read more

The authors of this paper exploit a large database of home energy efficiency upgrades and metered energy consumption to provide new evidence of the distributional impact of energy efficiency measures. Read more

Research - 2018
This research examines some of the multiple benefits of a home energy efficiency upgrade programme for social housing tenants. Read more

Abstract In the context of moving to a low-carbon economy there is wide interest among policymakers to improve knowledge of... Read more

Abstract This paper analyzes the impact of broadband infrastructure, along with a range of other local characteristics such as motorways... Read more

Abstract In order to better understand the potential for both policy and technological improvements to aid carbon abatement, long-term historical... Read more

Research - 2017
This research examines adoption of gas as a heating fuel in Ireland. The researchers provide an analysis that simulates gas network expansions yet to be undertaken and the potential impact of these on uptake of gas and the associated changes in CO2 emissions. Read more

Abstract This article examines the effects of corporate tax on these location decisions of newly established multinational subsidiaries across 26... Read more

Using a unique dataset of broadband roll-out over time in different locations in Ireland, McCoy et al. examine how broadband networks and other local factors affect the location decisions of new firms. Read more

This research examines the impact of a home energy efficiency upgrade programme on social housing tenants, drawing from a sample from a large home energy efficiency programme in Ireland, the SEAI Better Energy Communities Scheme. Read more

Policy
Policy - 2021
This submission was made by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the ESRC Centre for... Read more

Policy - 2019
The Grantham Research Institute’s response to the Commons Select Committee inquiry into decarbonisation of the UK economy highlights the Treasury’s unique position in government to drive the transition towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining a focus on economic growth. Read more

Policy - 2018
This paper provides responses to selected questions in the UK government's call for evidence on 'Building a market for energy efficiency'. Read more

Policy - 2017
This is a submission in response to a call for evidence on the reform of the Green Deal framework. The Green Deal was the UK’s flagship programme to improve energy efficiency of the building stock. Read more

Events
Events - 2023
News
News - 2019
How realistic are the predicted savings to household energy bills from installing a smart meter? And how robust is the evidence behind the figures? Greer Gosnell and Daire McCoy investigate, in the second of two posts on smart meters. Read more

With recent reports criticising the UK Government’s rollout of its smart meter implementation programme, Greer Gosnell and Daire McCoy review the costs and benefits and call for a revamp, particularly of consumer engagement. Read more

News - 2017
Energy bills are at the top of the political agenda in the UK. In the short term, increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption will reduce energy bills – but how effectively do current energy efficiency policies incentivise cuts in energy use? Read more
