Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform has launched new guidance to support energy upgrades in traditional buildings.

Although the guidance is aimed at the specifiers and installers of retrofitting projects, the guidance will also be of interest to owners, occupiers and other custodians of historic buildings who want to improve the comfort of buildings whilst reducing energy usage, energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.

The guidance aims to support specifiers and installers by offering practical insights into making informed decisions during retrofitting endeavours for traditional buildings.

It explains the workings of such structures, outlines methods for evaluating their performance, and underscores strategies for climate change adaptation. Additionally, it provides recommendations on upgrading various aspects of the building envelope, considerations for enhancing existing services, and selecting suitable energy systems, including renewable energy sources, tailored to the unique requirements of traditional buildings.

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Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said:

"We’re seeing lots of demand for renovations including energy upgrades to bring older building stock back into use. This guidance means that more of these types of buildings can now be brought up to better energy efficiency standards and in turn, make them more comfortable places to live. As these types of buildings are often located in our towns and cities, this guidance can also help to support our efforts to revitalise town centres and address vacancy. By sensitively upgrading our historic buildings, we not only protect their architectural heritage value, but improve the comfort and quality of life for occupants and enable vacant properties to be brought back into use. In addition, we can reduce the energy use of these buildings which is an important step in meeting our climate targets."

In Ireland, traditional buildings typically feature solid, load-bearing masonry walls, single-glazed windows, and timber-framed roofs. This construction style was used in the majority of buildings erected in the country before approximately 1940, constituting a substantial portion of our built environment.

Special care is required when undertaking building or energy upgrade work to building stock of this nature. The guidance will assist the custodians of traditional buildings in increasing energy efficiency in ways that protects the character of the buildings while also avoiding potential damage to the fabric of the buildings and the health of their occupants.