The leader of the Green Party has said that Ireland will not have to ration energy in the autumn and winter - but wants people to do so themselves on a "voluntary basis".
Eamon Ryan was speaking to reporters on his way into crunch Cabinet talks over carbon emissions and climate change targets.
He, Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin will continue discussions over reducing Ireland's emissions target in the agriculture sector on Wednesday morning after late-night talks failed to reach a conclusion on Tuesday.
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Earlier this month, the EU asked nations to reduce their gas consumption by 15% between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, with fears that Vladimir Putin would cut off the Russian gas supply to the continent.
However, Mr Ryan confirmed that Ireland would not fall under that banner as it's not reliant on the same grid as mainland Europe.
He told reporters: "I was in Brussels yesterday and we got an agreement on an exemption for Ireland. Should Mr Putin shut off the gas to Europe, they will have to ration and reduce by 15%. We're in a different situation, we're not connected to continental grid and relying on Russian gas
"We will be doing it on a voluntary basis. We do have to reduce our use. What Mr Putin is doing is using energy as a weapon, it's putting up the price of energy to unprecedented levels. We need to reduce our use for our own interests, for our own sake.
"I don't believe it'll be rationing, it'll be our own smarts that will make that happen."
Mr Ryan also urged people to research the best ways they could make cuts.
He said: "Be careful with energy. Look for the basic measures we can do to save money. The price of gas is at unprecedented levels. Every household will know it through their gas and electricity bills.
"It's the simple things, be efficient, don't be wasteful. Invest in solar panels, insulation, heat pumps - things that allow you to switch away from that gas. People across the country are doing that, they know it's time to change.
The Climate Action Plan has recommended that there be cuts of between 22% and 30% made for the agriculture sector in terms of emissions.
However, multiple TDs and Senators from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are unhappy with the target, suggesting it should be at the lower end of the scale, but the Green Party are claiming it should be close to 30%"
Mr Ryan said: "I hope we can close the difference and agree an approach today. It's a very significant for every section of Irish society. We need to make sure that changes we make are for the better - good for farmers, transport, energy and employment, protecting us against the cost of living.
"The need to act fast and act more gets clearer by the day. We can't afford to wait, we can't avoid inaction and it's just working out the mechanics of it is tricky."
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