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The Green Party has asked
Environment Minister Dick Roche to comment on research indicating
that the use of two different measurements for energy efficiency
standards of buildings – both currently used under Irish building
regulations – can lead to significantly different results.
Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TDsaid: "I have
asked Dick Roche if he is concerned that there are now two
independent research reports confirming that the current use of
different measurements of building energy efficiency standards are
capable of producing vastly different results.
"I have also asked Minister Roche if, in light of the research
showing that the different measurements taken under current building
standards produce different results, we need to amend the
regulations and accept only one measurement from now on.
"This is just the latest example of the Government refusing to deal
with the issue of energy efficient buildings. Two weeks ago deputies
from Labour, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein supported my proposal in the
Environment Committee that all new homes should require an expert
report outlining how energy efficient systems could be best
incorporated into the design and construction of new homes. Minister
Roche wouldn't accept our amendments. No doubt Fianna Fáil and PD
Senators will similarly dismiss Senator Joe O'Toole's Private
Members motion on energy efficiency, which is before the Seanad
today.
"In years to come the strongest criticism of this Government will be
that it oversaw the biggest house-building boom in State history
without adequately improving energy efficiency criteria in building
standards.
"It should be greatly embarrassing to the current Environment
Minister that local authorities have had the bottle to deal with
this issue while he continues to deny that there is a problem.
Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Wicklow councils are proposing
Local Area Plans with energy efficiency requirements that are twice
the national standards," concluded Deputy Cuffe.
1) Questions submitted to the
Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government on 24
October 2006:
"To ask the Minister […] if he is concerned with new research
mentioned on Prime Time last week which indicated that houses
meeting current building regulations on energy efficiency – measured
by the Overall Heat Loss method – may be up to 30% more energy
efficient than some houses meeting the current regulations as
measured using the Elemental Method; and if the Minister would make
a statement on the matter?"
"To ask the Minister […] why there are two measures of energy
efficiency – Elemental and Overall Heat Loss – acceptable under the
current Building Regulations; if his Department has ever conducted
or commissioned comparative analysis research of the two methods and
if not if he would consider commissioning such research; if he
thinks energy efficiency efforts might benefit from only one measure
of energy efficiency being permitted under the Regulations; and if
he would comment on the matter?"
2) Amendment to the Building Control Bill put the Minister for
the Environment Heritage and Local Government at the Select
Committee on the Environment and Local Government on 18 October
2006:
"Where a person proposes to construct a building the person shall
ensure, before work commences on its construction, that due
consideration has been given to the technical, environmental and
economic feasibility of using alternative energy systems in the
proposed building, and use of such systems has been taken into
account, as far as practicable, in the design of the proposed
building."
3) Vote Results
The committee divided: Tá, 4; Níl, 8.
Tá:Ciarán Cuffe, Padraic McCormack, Fergus O'Dowd, Ruairí Quinn.
Níl: John Cregan, Noel Grealish, Seán Haughey, Jackie Healy-Rae,
Billy Kelleher. Michael Moynihan, Charlie O'Connor, Dick Roche.
Amendment declared lost. |
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or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.