DEAP/BER results of UK standards and a range of Irish minimal compliant specifications under current 2006 Part L regulations for a typical 3-bed semidetached house. All examples are carbon compliant with MPCDER equal to or above CDER.

A detailed study and critique of the current Irish Part L for energy efficiency in Dwellings, comparing it in detail to the UK equivalent, highlights serious shortcomings in comparison to our UK neighbours. The
proposed revision to Part L by Minister John Gormley will, if not lobbied to death, help redress the significant shortcoming in our current Part L relative to the UK, writes Patrick Daly.

There are significant differences between the current Irish and UK (England and Wales) Part L documents in structure, scope and standards. These include the UK (England and Wales) Part L having higher minimum boiler efficiencies, minimum air permeability levels, mandatory air pressure testing, guidance and standards covering a broadening spectrum of technologies, including Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), and a move to include performance criteria into compliance requirements as opposed to solely mandating design standards.

In addition the UK (England/Wales) regulations have undertaken a radical review and update to Part F (Ventilation), which co-relates with the importance of ventilation control in relation to energy in dwellings and to the growing range of systems and approaches emerging in energy
efficient house design and practice.

However these component standards alone are not the only or indeed the main area of difference in relation to overall compliance, which is currently being expressed in both jurisdictions in terms of carbon emissions.

Both Part L’s now define “limitation of carbon emissions” as the “principle compliance criteria.” A key difference is that the UK has set a 20% improvement factor in relation to their carbon threshold, which means carbon has to be reduced by 20% whereas the current Irish Part L does
not.

Patrick Daly is an energy and environmental consultant with the Built Environment Sustainable Research & Consultancy and cofounder of the think-tank Research in Sustainable Environments

This is an extract from an article featured in the Feburary edition of Construction Engineer - Click HERE to Subscribe Today!