Electric heating is a huge red flag - living in the northeast US, that tends to indicate that whoever built the building is not from around here, and perhaps came up from the South, or some other area that does not have real winters. Usually where you find electric heaters, you'll also find wildly insufficient insulation, foundations that aren't up to frost, and any number of other design flaws that bite you in the ass when it is below freezing for four or five months out of the year.
Natural gas or heating oil is far more economical, although nothing beats the warmth provided by a good wood stove.
I agree, though in this case it has more to do with Dublin apartments generally having crap heating facilities. The landlord knows full well the costs he imposes.
Of course, I could also have looked for an apartment with gas heating, but the reality is the rent here is low enough that simply offsetting the environmental cost of electric heating with power sourced from wind (which is where almost all of this island's renewable energy comes from) is still a better deal.
It may be worth noting that it gets cool, but not especially cold, here, at least by New England standards. In January the average low is 3C, so still above freezing, and snow is rare, though it does happen.
Natural gas or heating oil is far more economical, although nothing beats the warmth provided by a good wood stove.