P78. Implementation of the EPBD in Ireland: Status and planning August [Country review] > Legal context. Deirdre Flood.

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1 [Country review] P Deirdre Flood Sustainable Energy Ireland Ireland More Information Papers on other European activities can be found at: Implementation of the EPBD in Ireland: Status and planning August 2008 This paper provides official information about the Directive implementation process in Ireland. For further details please visit the referenced web sites or contact the responsible institutions. 1 > Legal context The legal transposition of the EPBD in Ireland is the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government DEHLG (all Articles except 8 & 9) and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources DCENR (Articles 8 and 9). The EC Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 666 of 2006) were published in December These transpose elements of Article 5 [consideration of alternative/renewable energy systems during the design of large buildings] and Article 7 [Building Energy Rating (BER)] into national legislation and assign to Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) the role of issuing authority for BER. The Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 873 of 2005) amending the Building Regulations Part L, which deal with the minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings, were published in December These come into operation from 1 July 2006 and, inter alia, give legal effect to Articles 3-6 of the EPBD. These have been further reinforced by the Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 854 of 2007) which have significantly strengthened the energy and CO2 performance requirements for new housing and come into operation from 1 July It is planned to further amend the provisions of the Building Regulations by mid 2008 to include the national methodology for calculating energy performance of nonresidential buildings. The above regulations were preceded by the EC (Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 872 of 2005), published in December 2005, which enabled the making of national regulations to give effect to the EPBD. Outline details of a proposed campaign to encourage the voluntary inspection/servicing of boilers were notified to the EU Commission on 31 August Article 8(b) of the EPBD.

2 The European Communities (Inspection and Assessment of Certain Air- Conditioning Systems) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 346 of 2006) were published by DCMNR in June This transposes Article 9 of EPBD into national legislation. 2 > Status of the implementation Following a process of public consultation, the Action Plan for Implementation of the EPBD in Ireland was published by SEI on in July This sets out the suite of proposed tasks, responsibilities and timescales required to achieve full implementation in a workable and costeffective manner. Copies of the plan are available at The key requirements of the EPBD are being implemented in Ireland on the following phased basis: Minimum energy performance requirements New dwellings July 2006 New non-residential buildings July 2008 Building Energy Rating (BER) New dwellings - January 2007 New non-residential buildings - July 2008 Existing buildings offered for sale or rent - January 2009 Display of BER in public service buildings over 1000m 2 - January 2009 Feasibility assessment of alternative energy systems - January 2007 Energy efficiency of boilers and heating systems January 2008 Inspection of air-conditioning systems January 2008 National calculation methodology The national calculation methodology for new residential buildings, entitled Dwellings Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP), is a simplified asset based monthly calculation which conforms to EN ISO The output of DEAP is in the form of annual primary energy and CO2 emissions arising from the provision of space heating and ventilation, water heating, associated pumps and fans, and lighting, calculated on the basis of a standardised notional pattern of occupancy. DEAP can be downloaded from DEAP, with an accompanying data set of default assumptions based on age/type of construction, will be used for calculating the energy performance of existing residential buildings. The national calculation methodology framework for non-residential buildings, entitled NEAP, is an adapted version of the UK National Calculation Method. Under this method, building designers and BER assessors can, according to the complexity of the building, apply either an official simplified asset based calculation procedure entitled Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) or an approved dynamic simulation software package. A localised Irish adaptation of SBEM has been completed and published, and can be downloaded from The energy rating of public buildings >1000m 2 will be based on an operational calculation methodology. Requirements for new buildings and major renovations Official Technical Guidance Documents (TGD L) provide designers and builders with guidance on how to comply with the Building Regulations Part L. These documents can be downloaded from EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

3 Table 1: Maximum Elemental U-values for Dwellings, TGD L, 2008 ed. Fabric Elements Area Weighted Average Elemental U-value (W/m 2 K) Roofs Pitched roof - Insulation at ceiling Insulation on slope 0.20 Flat roof 0.22 Walls 0.27 Ground floors 0.25 Other exposed floors 0.25 External doors, 2.00 windows & rooflights* Maximum elemental U-value may vary depending on area of openings, value given in table is where total opening area is 25% of floor area Table 2: Maximum Elemental Heat Loss Limitations, Nondwellings, TGD L, 2006 ed. Fabric Elements Average Elemental U-value (W/m 2 K) Roofs Pitched roof - Insulation at 0.16 ceiling - Insulation on 0.20 slope Flat roof 0.22 Walls 0.27 Ground floors 0.25 Other exposed 0.25 floors External personnel 2.20 doors, windows & rooflights* Vehicle access and 1.5 similar large doors *Permitted average U-value of external personnel doors, windows and rooflights in buildings other than dwellings may vary as described in Paragraph TGD L 2006 ed. Requirements for new buildings The latest revision to TGD L - Dwellings was published in January 2008 and can be downloaded from the building standards section of It provides guidance in relation to the application of Part L of the Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 854 of 2007). For dwellings the following new or improved requirements come into force for planning applications submitted after 1 July 2008: Limitation of heat loss through the building fabric (Table 1) Limitation of energy and CO 2 emissions relative to that of a reference dwelling prescribed in TGD L Controls for space heating and hot water supply systems Insulation of hot water storage vessels, pipes and ducts Mandatory provision of 10 kwh/m 2 /annum thermal energy or 4 kwh/m 2 /annum of electrical energy from a renewable source e.g. solar energy (thermal or photovoltaic), wind, hydropower, biomass, geothermal etc or from a smallscale combined heat and power system Setting a minimum seasonal net efficiency of 86% for all oil and gas fired boilers The minimum requirements for new non-residential buildings are set out in TGD L 2006 edition. The requirements cover: Limitation of Heat loss through the building fabric (Table 2) Limitation of solar overheating Controls for space heating and hot water supply systems Insulation of hot water storage vessels, pipes and ducts Efficiency of artificial lighting Sizing of air conditioning and mechanical ventilation Requirements for existing buildings From 1991, the Government of Ireland adopted minimum requirements for new building components when building renovation is done and for extensions to existing buildings. These requirements have to be respected since 1 June 1992 and have been strengthened from 1 July The relevant documents can be downloaded from the building standards section of the key requirement for limitation of heat loss through the building fabric is summarised in Table 3. From 31 March 2008 all oil and gas fired boilers installed as replacements in existing dwellings must meet a minimum seasonal net efficiency of 86% where practicable. Table 3: Maximum Heat Loss Limitations for Material Alterations to Existing Buildings, Fabric Elements Max. average area-weighted elemental U-value (W/m 2 K) Dwellings TGD L 2008 ed. Non-dwellings TGD L 2006 ed. Roofs Walls Exposed Floors other exposed floors External doors, windows & rooflights EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

4 Certification of buildings BER BER is the most visible aspect of the EPBD. With regard to the BER for dwellings the energy performance is expressed as: (a) primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kwh/m 2 /yr) represented on an A to G scale; and (b) associated Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in kgco 2 /m 2 /yr The features of the BER Certificate are explained in the diagram below. New dwellings built to Building Regulations 2005 standards would typically have a BER of B3/C1. Dwellings built to the Building Regulations 2007 standards would typically have a BER of B1/A3. A similar format of the BER certificate for non-residential buildings has been published within supplementary regulations and has come formally into operation since 1 st July The key difference is that for nonresidential buildings the rating is based on a ratio of primary energy use and CO 2 emissions for the actual/ proposed building relative to that for a notional building to a specification prevailing under the Building Regulations EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

5 Qualified Experts Residential sector BER assessments are carried out by registered BER assessors who have: a Level 6 construction related qualification or equivalent received a Level 6 award in BER from a training provider that is registered with a recognised national accreditation body signed the BER Assessor Code of Conduct correctly completed the appropriate assessor registration forms All BER training courses must meet SEI s BER training specification. This specification lists all the learning outcomes that a BER assessor should have acquired. Details of the recognised BER training providers and training courses are listed on SEI s website. The length and format of the training courses vary depending on whether the training provider sets additional prequalification requirements for entry on to a particular course. Typically a training course takes 4 days to complete this excludes personal learning time and time required for completing assessments. All registered BER assessors are listed on SEI s website From over 1600 persons who have completed accredited training courses, over 600 have registered to date as BER assessors. For non-residential sector BER assessors, a requirement is being established that such persons be members of an approved competent persons scheme which meets the entry, operational, technical, legal, administrative and financial criteria specified by SEI as the issuing authority. An interim registration system is in place whereby technical qualifications, membership of a relevant recognised professional body and successful completion of an examination are required. National register SEI developed a National BER Register in This is a computerised data management system. Each BER assessor has a personal profile on the system and can upload BER assessments on-line. Uploaded assessments go through a series of automatic administrative and technical checks, following which the assessor can choose to publish or discard the assessment. Once a BER is published, the assessor is charged a fee of 25 and the BER details can be viewed on SEI s website, using the search function shown below. Assessors have the option of printing their published BER certificate from the system, for issuing to the client (building owner). EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

6 Advisory reports An on line tool to assist BER assessors in generating Advisory Reports for new dwellings has been developed by SEI. This may be reviewed on An example Advisory Report is shown below. EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

7 Quality control The quality of BER certificates will be controlled by periodic checks of the work of the BER assessors. Assessments will be selected for audit on a random basis but targeted audits based on the data included in assessments will also be carried out. Inspection of boilers and air conditioning systems An information and promotional campaign for boilers (Article 8(b)) is currently being implemented. Among the elements included in this campaign are: Development of a national product efficiency database of home heating appliances, entitled Home-heating Appliance Register of Performance (HARP) Introduction of minimum seasonal net efficiency standard of 86% for new or replacement domestic oil and gas boilers from 31st March Grant aiding of renewable space and water heating systems under the Greener Homes Scheme ( Boiler efficiency awareness leaflet campaign targeted at dwelling owners. Boiler efficiency awareness campaign including information workshops targeted at heating industry stakeholders Development of the following national documents: Code of Practice for Design, Implementation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Plumbing and Heating Systems Condensing Boiler Compliance Guide Domestic Heating Compliance Guide HARP Boiler Search Webpage. The inspection and assessment of air-conditioning systems is covered by Statutory Instrument No. 346 of 2006 European Communities (Inspection and Assessment of certain Air-Conditioning Systems) Regulations These regulations were adopted in June 2006 and apply from January The procedures for inspection of air conditioning systems are being finalised. EPBD Buildings Platform >P078_EN_Ireland_August

8 3 > Future planning The following developments are planned for the short and medium term: Finalise the survey methodology for existing buildings Redevelop the DEAP software to allow existing dwellings to be assessed Publish the full suite of energy performance methods (NEAP) for buildings other than dwellings Finalise and launch BER scheme for buildings other than dwellings, covering methodology, qualification and registration systems Finalise BER details for public buildings >1000m2 BER display initiative Continued public consultation and awareness raising. 4 > Advertising campaign A national advertising campaign to raise national awareness of the EPBD requirements has been instigated. The campaign includes the following elements: A print media advertising campaign to raise awareness of BER; the advertisement shown on the side of this page has been included in the property section of all national newspapers. A BER information leaflet entitled A Guide to Building Energy Rating (BER) and aimed at house holders has been published. 3,000 copies were posted out to solicitors, architects and estate agents firms in April SEI has organised or delivered presentations on the EPBD at over 150 events since Over 17,500 people have attended these events. A dedicated BER section has been developed on SEI s website This webpage has targeted information for homeowners, BER assessors and BER training providers. Copy print media advertisement. This paper has been prepared in collaboration with the EPBD Concerted Action ( The EPBD Buildings Platform has been launched by the European Commission in the frame of the Intelligent Energy Europe, programme. It is managed by INIVE EEIG ( on behalf of DG Energy and Transport. The information in this publication is subject to a Disclaimer and Copyright Notice; see EPBD European Buildings Communities, Platform 2008 >P078_EN_Ireland_August Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged