Costs of running a home on the rise

It costs an average of just over 16 thousand 600 euro to run a family home in Ireland this year, including mortgage costs, property tax, utilities and bin charges.

That's almost 2.5 per cent more than last year, according to new figures released by AA Home Insurance.

The increase is being attributed to the rise in property prices, up from an average of 205 thousand euro in 2015 to 215 thousand euro this year.

Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at AA Ireland, says consumers have gained a little on energy and heating costs.