Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
384. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that many apartments built to high insulation standards seem to be without any method for achieving reasonable temperatures during a very hot spell; and whether the regulatory standards have considered how this matter might be addressed, without recourse to very energy intensive air conditioning. [33847/23]
View answerThe Building Regulations set out minimum standards for the design and construction of buildings and works to ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings.
Part L of the Building Regulations-Conservation of Fuel and Energy implemented the requirements for Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) for dwellings in 2019. NZEB means a building that has a very high energy performance. The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby.
These regulations significantly reduce carbon emissions, lessen dependence on fossil fuels and lower energy costs for occupants. They also create healthier indoor environments by prioritising proper ventilation, reducing pollutants and enhancing overall comfort and well-being. Part F (Ventilation) 2019 of the building regulations requires adequate ventilation in all new homes.
The Technical Guidance Document to Part L also provides guidance on limiting heat gains, risk assessments to avoid high internal temperatures, and recommendations to reduce or avoid solar overheating for dwellings
The Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) used to calculate the Building Energy Rating for dwellings provides a method for assessing the propensity of a dwelling to have high internal temperature in hot weather.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has undertaken a comprehensive review of the DEAP overheating methodology that will draw on a combination of overheating risk analysis and an appraisal of existing international methodologies for assessing overheating risk in new dwellings. This review is still ongoing.
In 2019 SEAI published a report on overheating risks in new dwellings which is available at the following link. www.seai.ie/business-and-public-sector/standards/nearly-zero-energy-building-standard/Overheating-risk-in-new-dwellings.pdf This report carried out an assessment of the overheating risk in dwellings using CIBSE TM59 methodology, and reviewed the available risk assessment tools to avoid/minimise cooling being retrofitted in new homes.
Met Éireann has recently produced new reports which maps extremes in temperature, soil temperature, snow loadings and rainfall frequencies and utilise the driving rain index (an important climatological consideration when designing buildings). These can be used by architects and engineers to model overheating risk for individual new and existing buildings at various locations in Ireland. Climate data for use in building design consisting of past and future weather files for overheating risk assessment are also presented. The outputs of this analysis can be used in numerous ways to inform public policy and to future-proof investment, particularly relating to the built environment - such as the building of buildings, bridges and roadways.
The work was completed in consultation with a steering group made up of representatives from the National Standards Authority of Ireland, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and members of my Department’s Building Standards committee under Climate Action Plan 2021. The output of this research will be used to inform national standards and guidance documents relating to the built environment to ensure Irish buildings continue to be climate resilient over their full design life.
The relevant reports and data can be accessed at the following links: www.met.ie/education/publications/climatological-notes
www.met.ie/education/publications/technical-notes
These will guide the design and construction of Irish building projects into the future. This is an important action of our Climate Action Plan as well as the National Adaptation Framework – the strategy to reduce the vulnerability of the country to the negative effects of climate change.
