John Gormley TD Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today published draft-building regulations under Part L of the building code dealing with energy efficiency for homes.
The draft Regulations provide for what is termed "a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency standards in Irish homes." They are aimed at ensuring that new housing stock in Ireland is built to the highest international standards, where they will be cheaper to run and will have a much lower impact on the environment.
The Minister was accompanied at the announcement by Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister for Energy and Communications.
The draft Regulations provide for:
- A 40 per cent improvement in energy efficiency for new homes in 2008.
- A 40 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.
- A Mandatory minimum renewable energy requirement in all new homes, such as solar heating systems or biomass systems eg(wood pellet).
- Mandatory levels of energy efficient fixed light fittings
- Minimum standards on heating systems to ensure they are highly energy efficient
- Minimum requirements for heating system controls to minimise energy waste through excessive heating
- Air tightness testing, to ensure the homes are not leaking heat excessively.
- Guidance on ensuring a minimum quality of workmanship and construction
- Consumer information on the efficient operation of the homeowner’s dwelling as a minimum requirement.
- Commitment in the guidelines to review and improve regulations to 60 per cent in 2010 with the ultimate aim of achieving a zero carbon standard for new houses in the medium to long term.
- New buildings should also be future-proofed to be easily upgraded to higher energy and CO2 standards in the future
The estimated cost per housing unit has been put at €15,000 by the construction industry.
Tens of thousands of homes, which will now be governed by the new measures, have given planning permission and architects may have to revisit plans to make sure they meet the new requirements.
Construction chiefs, however, warned that they could not possibly meet the new requirements within the timeframe laid down by the Government.
A spokesman for Construction Industry Federation (CIF) chief Tom Parlon, the former PD junior minister, told the Irish Independent: "We don't have the technical capacity to do this."
Fine Gael accused the smaller government party of hypocrisy, saying the new regulations came just one week after the party opted to cut the Greener Homes scheme.
"Instead of slashing grants to existing householders who wish to reduce energy usage, funding should have been increased," Fine Gael's new party environment spokesman Phil Hogan said.
“The draft Regulations which I have published today will change forever the way we deal with the housing stock under the building code. These Regulations are the first dramatic step in the process of achieving carbon zero housing. The benefit to the consumer in savings on energy costs, as we face into an uncertain future with regard to carbon based fuel costs, will be a huge benefit to homeowners,” said Gormley. “It will also make a significant contribution to Ireland’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas levels.”
“The improvement (40 per cent) is the largest ever to have taken place and the new Regulations also link energy efficiency improvements to climate change by requiring a specific reduction in CO2 emissions. New homes will be required to be built to specifications where they produce on average 40 per cent less CO2 than current standard new homes,” he added.
“Necessary skills-set are essential” - Ryan
“I very much welcome the new Building regulations as announced by my colleague Minister Gormley today. Through Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Houses of Tomorrow Scheme, over 6,000 houses in Ireland have or are being constructed with a 40% improvement in energy efficiency. This shows the demand that exists and how regulation is the next logical step.”
“Minister Gormley and I will be working together on implementation of these new standards. We need to ensure that we have the installers with the necessary and accredited skill-set to install the renewable energy technologies into all new Irish homes. SEI and Action Renewables have set up a Renewable Energy Installers Academy, with support from my Department. Fás, in conjunction with SEI will be offering nationally accredited training courses in all of the renewable technologies from October 2007. In addition to the courses available in Dundalk IT, new state-of-the art facilities are soon to open in Ballyfermot, Dublin and Bishopstown, Cork,” said Ryan
“I will continue to ensure that my Department provides the necessary support to installers and the building industry in order to meet these challenging requirements,” he added.
Draft Regulations
The draft Regulations have been sent to the European Commission for consideration, as required under Competition law and are being published on the Department’s website today for public consultation.
The Minister may choose to amend parts of the Regulations and Guidance following this public consultation process. The Minister intends to sign the regulations in December 07. There will be a phasing-in period for the Regulations, as recommended by experts who have worked on them, in order to provide time for the industry to adjust. The intention is that the new rules will apply to all new housing planning applications after 1st July 2008. From 1st July 2009 they will apply to all new homes that have not been substantially completed at that stage, regardless of when planning permission was sought.
“These Regulations when finalised and coupled with Regulations transposing the EU Directive (2002/91/EC) on the Energy Performance of Buildings which became law in December 2006 provide a very strong base for creating a world class energy efficient housing stock. They will make a significant contribution towards the implementation of our climate change strategy,” Gormley said.
Energy & CO2 savings
The guidelines stipulate that the new homes can achieve these new standards in the following ways.
Significant improvements in wall, roof and floor insulation levels will be required. Some form of renewable energy, such as solar thermal heating, will also be an essential element. The use of energy efficient lighting (in the region of half of all fixed lights) will also reduce energy demand and CO2 levels. Heating systems will be required to have thermostats, time controls and, in larger homes, heating zones. Boilers will have to perform to minimum efficiency standards. Air testing to ensure homes are not leaking excessive heat will also be required. The guidelines will also provide a new emphasis on workmanship, and for the first time require that vendors provide consumer information to buyers on the operation of the home’s heating and energy control systems.
How the minimum standards on renewable energy, lighting etc, will work
For renewable energy they will stipulate a minimum amount of energy in kilowatt-hours per square metre of the house. The amount has been set so that a modest solar water heating system will meet the new requirements. Similarly, the lighting efficiency standard will be based on a proportion of the floor area of the new house. Standards for boilers will effectively make highly efficient models like condensing boilers a basic requirement. Vendors of these new homes will have to provide easy-to-read consumer information on how the systems in the homes operate.
Future improvements
The policy aim of achieving zero carbon homes in the future is stated for the first time in these new guidelines. It states that a review to improve the regulations further (to 60 per cent above current levels) will be carried out in 2010.
The document states: “This revision of Part L represents a significant step towards the optimisation of the efficiency of energy use in new dwellings and the minimization of related CO2 emissions. It is intended that the standards specified here will be tightened further in 2010. The aim is to achieve zero carbon emissions associated with the operation and use of buildings, at the earliest date practicable.”
The guidelines also advise that new homes should be future-proofed. It states: “Insofar as the current amendment does not achieve this target, the design and construction of dwellings complying with this amendment to Part L, should be carried out with due regard to the likely need to upgrade the building fabric and fixed services in the future so as to reduce further carbon emissions associated with the operation and use of these dwellings.”
