RTÉ treated this as something of a joke.
It might sometimes be viewed as a house filled with hot air but Leinster House bosses are resisting calls to switch on the heat this week.
As the autumn chill rippled through the old building today, many politicians felt the air was a little nippy leading one observer to quip that "there are a lot of cold creatures in this house".
But all were informed this evening that the heating will not be turned on until next Monday at the earliest.
Traditionally, the heat is switched on from 1 October in Leinster House but not even the post-Budget glow on the Government's benches could keep the cold at bay for some this afternoon.
And:
The Facilities Management Unit (FMU), which controls the heating switch, received several inquiries.
So it sent an email to "all members of the parliamentary community" stating that "it was important that the Oireachtas shows leadership in relation to the Government's climate action targets and the national effort to reduce consumption".
Waiting until Monday would also "offset increases in energy costs", the FMU advised.
I work in a city centre location not that far from LH. The building I'm in, which is also part of the state sector, was very cold this week. It's a modern enough building, but not warm. Not warm at all. That's grand. I can wrap up warmly. But this is a real challenge. And if it is like this now - in late September, I wonder what it will be like come actual Winter with temperatures plunging much lower than the 14-15º predicted for next week. And not just in Dublin but more northerly points? And what about houses and apartments? The Budget does take some of the bite out of energy costs, but whether it is anywhere near sufficient remains to be seen.
This I did not know.
Leinster House is heated through a mixture of gas and bio-mass. The bio-mass boiler uses waste wood chippings from furniture factories.
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