Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2026
115. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing legislation or regulations to make it mandatory for all new residential developments comprising of more than ten units to include solar energy systems, or alternative renewable energy technologies, together with battery storage facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69272/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraBuilding Regulations set out the legal requirements for the construction of new buildings, extensions to existing buildings, material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing buildings. They are performance based and technology neutral.
A minimum renewable energy ratio for all new dwellings is required, and already includes solar energy systems and alternative renewable energy technologies as defined in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The renewable energy provided by these systems is taken account of for the purpose of Building Regulations compliance.
The primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. Technical Guidance Document L presents several compliance examples, including solar energy systems.
The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2019 introduced the Nearly Zero Energy Building, or NZEB standard, for all new dwellings from 31st October 2020.
When compared with new dwellings built in 2005, new NZEB dwellings achieve:
- at least 65% less carbon emissions;
- at least 70% less primary energy use; and
- at least 20% of their energy use comes from renewable sources.
Changes to Building Regulations in Ireland over the past 20 years have led to healthier dwellings being constructed today that are overall energy efficient, emit significantly less carbon emissions and use more energy from renewable sources.
In line with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the energy performance requirements in the Building Regulations are set at the lowest life cycle cost over a 30-year period. This takes account of capital, energy, maintenance and disposal costs.
Having regard to the current requirements in place, which are technology neutral, and are already achieving very high energy performance, it is in my view, appropriate to allow the designers, builders and owners of dwellings to choose the specific renewable technology that is right for the dwelling in question, provided it meets the minimum requirement that 20% of their energy use comes from renewable sources.
