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GUIDE TO LOW ENERGY DESIGN:

Energy Conservation Approach

A fabric first approach treats a home as one energy system in which each part affects the performance of the whole house. This approach makes efficient use of water, electricity, other natural resources and strives to minimise energy waste. It also ensures that all the building professionals are informed and understand every aspect that affect energy use in the home. The goal of the fabric first approach is to create a home with lower utility/ maintenance costs, improved durability and comfort, and a healthy and safe indoor environment. This offers many advantages and opportunities, such as reduced energy, better temperature control and thermal comfort for occupants, enhanced performance through reduction in draughts, solar glare, overheating, colder areas, as well as noise. A more efficient, well-insulated home requires smaller heating systems, or even none. Better insulation or well-maintained building fabric can increase a building’s value and aesthetics, while meeting compliance with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Irish government building regulations.The ultimate goal of an energy efficient home is to achieve nearly zero energy use. Achieving these standards and requirements will create an energy efficient home that saves money, energy and creates a high degree of comfort for the occupants.

Continuity of Insulation

An essential design component of an energy efficient home is continuous insulation.  Insulation that is uncompressed and continues across all structural members without thermal bridges other than fasteners and service openings. A thermal bridge is a section of a wall assembly that allows heat and energy to flow through it at a higher rate than the surrounding area and reduces the effectiveness of the assembly. The purpose of continuous insulation will be to stop thermal bridging and eliminate condensation risk. Continuous insulation stops air leakage in a home and saves homeowners money and energy by reducing mechanical ventilation and heating requirements.

Thermal Mass Materials

High thermal mass materials are an important design element of an energy efficient home and typically used in walls and floors. Thermal mass is the potential of a material to absorb and store heat energy. High thermal mass materials help stabilise temperature shifts within a home by slowing the rate of heat transfer. For example, at night an insulated concrete wall and floor will absorb the cool air and store it within its mass. During the day, if the walls and floors are shaded, they will stay cool and so will the interior of the home. In the winter, during daylight, the concrete walls and floors absorbs the sun’s heat energy. During the night, the heat then slowly spreads through the wall and floor and releases into the home.

Air and Moisture Barrier

Preventing air and moisture infiltration to the interior of a house is essential to the design of an energy efficient home. Moisture resistance is crucial to preventing rot, structural damage and the growth of mould and mildew, which can significantly degrade the indoor environmental quality of a home. To minimise air/ moisture infiltration within a home, an air/moisture barrier, along with continuous insulation, is imperative to an energy efficient home design.

Roofs

A roof of an energy efficient home protects against solar heat gain and keeps the house cool. High thermal mass materials will absorb the sun’s heat, which will transfer to the inside of a home. Typically, a roof made of low thermal mass materials like tiles, slate, or clay that are reflective or have light coloured pigments, will reflect the sunlight, improve indoor comfort and reduce energy requirements.

Floors

Insulated floors slabs are the most effective way to separate an energy efficient home from the ground. Concrete slabs, along with a continuous layer of insulation under the slab, are perfect for an energy efficient home design. The high thermal mass of concrete holds radiant energy and keeps a home warm.  Also, if underfloor heating is used with a heat pump, this provides the best environment to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump.

Glazing System and Orientation

The windows, skylights and doors of an energy efficient home provide light, warmth, ventilation, along with energy savings.  The major glazing areas should face south to take advantage of the sun’s energy in winter months when the sun is low. If windows face south, shading devices or deep reveals can prevent excessive heat gain during the summer months.  Proper site orientation of a home is essential for taking advantage of the sun’s energy. A north-south orientation minimises direct sunlight during the summer (which lessens cooling requirements) while maximising sunlight during the winter which lessons heating demands.  Room orientation is also an important design consideration of an energy efficient home. South facing rooms have good sun most of the day and are ideal for the main living spaces like living, family, and dining rooms. East facing rooms have good sun during the morning and are cool in the late afternoon, which is good for kitchens and bedrooms. West facing rooms get the late afternoon sun, which can be a problem for kitchens and bedrooms. North facing rooms have low levels of sunlight and are best suited for service areas such as utilities and bathrooms.

 Water Heating

Water heating accounts for over half the energy requirements of an energy efficient home and is one of the largest energy expenses in this type of home. Fortunately, there are several high efficiency water heating options that can save energy and money, high efficiency water cylinders, high efficiency heat pump or high efficiency solar water heating.

 Space Heating and Ventilation

In an energy efficient home, the heating accounts for a small proportion of energy demands due to insulation levels. The design of an energy efficient home should consider high efficiency heating systems that use less energy such as heat pumps.  Controlling ventilation of an energy efficient home is critical because the air tightness of it may trap pollutants (like radon, formaldehyde, and volatile organic compounds). It is recommended for an energy efficient home to install an energy recovery ventilation system. An energy recovery ventilation system controls ventilation and minimises energy loss by transferring energy from conditioned air going out to fresh incoming air.  It is imperative that ventilation professionals install the systems in accordance with any certification or manufacturers requirements. Improper installation of any ventilation system lessens the efficiency of a system by up to 30 percent.

Lighting

Lighting contributes about 15-20% of a home’s annual energy demand and is a crucial design consideration of an energy efficient home. Controls such as timers, photocells that turn lights off when not in use and dimmers can save money and energy. Examples of energy efficient lighting include light emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluores­cent lamps (CFLs). As LEDs are about 90 percent more efficient than incandescent light bulbs and their initial cost are out weighted as they are the longest lasting energy efficient bulb.

Renewable Energy Sources

The design of an energy efficient home should strive to create as much energy as it uses by installing renewable energy measures: for example, heat pumps or solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Renewable energy sources can reduce a home’s utility bills.

Smart Home Devices

Including smart home products in the design of an energy efficient home is a convenient option that saves money and energy and makes a home safer. Examples of smart home products include programmable thermostats, occupancy or motion sensors, CO2 and other air quality alarms.

GUIDE TO THERMAL BRIDGING:

The effects of thermal bridges

Thermal bridges can account for 20-30% of the heat loss in a typical new build home. As homes become better insulated thermal bridges become even more significant as this can lead to Localised ‘cold-spots’ which sometimes leads to condensation build-up or mould growth.

Key junctions

Although there are many junctions within a dwelling, some have extremely low PSI-values and others occur over very short lengths. The key junctions to ‘get right’ or improve are those which either have a high PSI-value or occur frequently over significant lengths. Although the junctions of interest will vary depending on dwelling type and design.

Ensuring Insulation Continuity and Airtightness- Design Stage

The complexity of the modern building envelope requires that consideration is given to achieving insulation continuity and airtightness early in design. This two-stage process should be done at both strategic and detail level. Consideration at the strategic level involves the primary construction and insulation method (masonry cavity insulation, insulated timber frame, etc.) and selecting the primary air barrier elements (plaster finishes, sheathing boards, etc.). The choices made dictate the philosophy for the remainder of the design and construction process. At the detail level it is important that the design builds upon the above strategy showing the builder how to maintain insulation continuity and airtightness. Achieving continuity in practice requires that the designer:

• Identifies the components which form the insulation layer and air barrier in each part of the construction.
• Develops details that achieve continuity of the insulation and air barrier between each part of the construction and the next.
• Communicates the intentions clearly to the builder.

The following will help achieve insulation continuity and airtightness:

• Keep it simple! Simple designs are more likely to get built right.
• Decide which layer of the construction provides the air barrier.
• Minimise the number of different types of construction within the thermal envelope – wherever one form of construction meets another.
• Pay careful attention to the design of junctions between elements to ensure continuity of the air barrier. Think the construction sequence of each detail through, to ensure that it can be built. Change details if it becomes apparent, they do not work, or if site staff identify better ways of doing them.
• Favour simplicity of form – complex forms increase the number of junctions within the thermal envelope.
• Minimise penetrations of the thermal envelope, whether by services, structure or construction. A services space inside the air barrier line can help reduce service penetrations.
• Where penetrations are unavoidable (soil stacks, ventilation exhausts and intakes, water supply, electricity and gas supplies), develop appropriate details for their proper execution, for making good damage to insulation, and for re-sealing pipes and ducts to the surrounding air barrier.

Construction Stage

Three basic principles should be addressed during construction to ensure insulation continuity and effective air barriers: Management, Communication, and Quality Control.

Management- On-going review of the design is required. The project management should ensure that details of all design changes involving elements of the external envelope are distributed throughout the design, procurement and construction teams.

Communication and Education- Personnel involved in procurement and constructing the building fabric should understand the need for insulation continuity and airtightness. The more aware people are of the issues, the less likely essential components will be engineered out of the design for cost savings, and the more receptive site staff will be to requests for a higher standard of workmanship.

Awareness may be raised at key stages by briefing procurement offices and site tool-box talks.

Quality Control- Many contractors now have systems in place for monitoring the quality of their processes and products. Experience shows that the Quality Assurance (QA) should be extended to check for insulation continuity and airtightness.

Testing Stage-Insulation Continuity

Inspection of the insulation will largely be a qualitative assessment during construction. This should be a series of inspections. These inspections might be recorded as a series of brief reports supplemented by photographs as well as the completed ACD checklists.

Airtightness

The air permeability test is usually undertaken as the building nears completion. The external envelope must be practicably complete with all windows, doors and service penetrations installed and air sealed. The test is a quantitative assessment which culminates in either a pass or a fail result against a design value. It can be useful to perform air tightness checks on sections of the building during construction to identify areas of leakage prior to completion of finishes.

How to achieve thermal continuity - and why

For thermal insulation to be effective, it needs to be continuous. This means no gaps between the insulation sheets or batts. It also means no way for cold air to circulate freely on the warm side of the insulation.

• Insulation boards with stepped rather than flat butt joints give better continuity.
• Cut cavity insulation to suit. Butt the sheets tightly to each other, as well as tight up against cavity closers and loose fill insulation.
• Install roof insulation over the top course of blocks at the eaves, prior to felting at the roof having brought the wall insulation up to the top of the wall and bring the wall insulation right up to the top.

Good practice

Use of an airtight membrane as the air barrier can further increase air tightness beyond the performance of the barrier. To limit condensation, it may be helpful to restrict the contact of non-breathable insulation on timber studs, joists or other sections. With internal dry lining, a vapour barrier to prevent interstitial condensation on the structure is particularly important. To reduce cracking and help air tightness, it may be helpful to tape mesh onto wall/ceiling junctions in advance of plastering.

The causes of thermal bridging

Thermal bridges are localised areas of low thermal resistance. The rate of heat flow through a thermal bridge depends on a number of factors:

• The temperature difference across the thermal bridge.
• The thermal conductivity of the materials passing through the insulation layer.
• The cross-sectional area of the thermal bridge.

Linear Thermal Bridges

Linear thermal bridges are disturbances in the continuity of the thermal envelope that can occur along a certain length of the envelope. Typical examples of this include concrete balcony connections with the floor slab going through the wall, outer wall edges, floor supports and window to wall junctions. The energy losses incurred by a linear thermal bridge are quantified by the linear thermal transmittance ψ.

Point Thermal Bridges

Some thermal bridges can be characterized as singular or point thermal bridges. They only occur in one spot. Typical examples include steel balconies, canopies, roof extensions, fastening elements, such as dowels or curtain wall supports and anchor bolts that penetrate the insulating layer. The energy losses incurred by point thermal bridges are quantified by the Point thermal transmittance χ.

GUIDE TO PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND DECISIONS:

You may wish to build or extend your building, or a neighbouring development is taking place that may affect you. Either way, if you wish to know more about how the planning system works. This is a guide to understanding it.

When Planning Permission is Required?

Generally, you need planning permission for any development on, above or below ground, unless the development is specifically exempted from this requirement. The term 'development' covers a wide variety of works, including, but not limited to the carrying out of works (building, demolition, alteration) on land or buildings and the making of a material, that is significant, change of use of land or buildings.

Exempted Development

Exempted development is development for which Planning Permission is not required. Categories of exempted development are set out in Planning Regulations, which have been updated and expanded over time. There are usually certain conditions and limitations for each type of exempted development, for example, size or height. Where these thresholds are exceeded, the exemptions no longer apply. The purpose of exemptions is to avoid controls on developments of a minor nature, such as small extensions to houses and reduce the number of planning applications a Planning Authority receives. Therefore, minor development which could be perceived as exempt may not.

Types of Planning Applications

There are three main types of Planning Applications. An application may be made for:

Outline Permission

There are circumstances when you may want to make an application for outline permission, such as when you want to see whether the planning authority agrees with your proposal in principle before you go to the trouble of making detailed plans. If you obtain outline permission, you must obtain full permission before starting work. In most cases, a subsequent application for permission must be made within three years of the date of grant of outline permission. However, outline permission cannot be sought for retention of a structure, works to a protected structure or a proposed protected structure or developments requiring an environmental impact assessment, integrated pollution control licence or waste licence.

Planning Permission

This is the most common type of application, often referred to as Full Planning Permission. An application for Planning Permission requires an applicant to submit detailed plans and full particulars of the development. A successful application in this case will enable the applicant to commence development provided he or she is otherwise entitled to do so.

Retention Permission

Where an application is for retention of an unauthorised development, then Retention must be stated in the public notice and the nature of the proposed use of the structure must be stated. Where an application is for the Continuance of Use, the nature of such use and of the previous use must be stated. There are different definitions of continuance and we recommend that you contact the Planning office to ensure you understand all the details and implications. In general, for Retention, the fee is three times the fee for Full Planning Permission.

Getting Planning Permission

You get Planning Permission from the Planning Authority for the area the development is located. A fee is payable with an application for planning permission. Fees for different classes of development are listed with the application form. You must pay the correct fee with your application, as the Planning Authority is prohibited by law from deciding an application until the fee is paid. Voluntary organisations or charities may qualify for an exemption from the fee.

Length of Time

The length of time it takes to get planning permission is affected by the completeness of the application and by whether there is an appeal. Generally, a valid application will be dealt with by a Planning Authority within twelve weeks, from the date the application is made to the final granting of permission. However, the period can vary, particularly if the planning authority seeks further information from the applicant (which must be done within the first eight weeks). The Planning Authority then has four weeks from the day the further information is received to make a decision on the application.

Consulting the Planning Authority

You do not have to consult the Planning Authority before making a planning application, but it is often advisable to do so where you are unsure of local planning policies and application procedures. Depending on the type of development, you may need to discuss connections to the public water supply and sewer. The larger the development proposal, the greater the need for prior consultation.

Local Planning Policies

The development policies and objectives of the Planning Authority are contained in the local development plan. You can view the plan at any time during office hours at your local authority offices and local libraries or online. Copies and extracts from the plan are available at a reasonable cost from the planning authority.

Public Submissions

Any person can see a copy of your application and make written submissions or observations. This must be done within five weeks of the making of the planning application and on payment of the appropriate fee, to the planning authority. Public submissions must be considered by the planning authority when determining an application.

Planning Authority Decisions

In making their decisions, planning authorities take several matters into account, including the following:

• Proper planning and sustainable development of the area, for example, appropriate land use (zoning), road safety, development density, size, location and adherence to established planning and development practices.
• The Planning Authority's own development plan.
• Government policy.
• The provision of a Special Amenity Area Order.
• Any European site, such as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.
• Submissions and observations made by members of the public on the application.
• Non-planning issues may also be considered, such as boundary and other disputes or questions that are more properly resolved through legal means.

Granting of Permission

The decision to grant permission, with or without conditions, will be notified to you and to anyone who commented on the application. You receive a notice of intention to grant permission. During a period of four weeks, beginning on the date of the making of this decision, you or anyone else who has made a submission or observation on the application and has paid the appropriate fee may appeal it to An Bórd Pleanála. Where there is no appeal, the Planning Authority will formally grant permission at the end of the appeal period. You must not commence work until you receive this notification. If the decision is appealed, you will receive from An Bórd Pleanála either the granting of permission, with or without whatever conditions considered appropriate, or a refusal of permission. Where the planning authority decides to refuse your application, its reasons will be included in the notification sent to you. The same period of four weeks for appeal will apply.

Conditions

Planning permission may be subject to certain conditions, which will be listed on the decision. These may require changes to your proposal. Examples of such changes are new arrangements for the disposal of surface water; revised height, colour or material for boundary walls; or improved landscaping of the site. You may also be required to contribute to the Local Authority for services such as roads and public parks. These contributions differ from authority to authority and for different types of development. You must comply with all of the conditions attached to the permission and finish work in accordance with them. Even if you have more than one permission for a site, you cannot pick and choose the conditions which suit you best.

Enforcement

The enforcement of planning decisions is the responsibility of the Planning Authority, which has wide enforcement powers to ensure development is carried out in conformity with planning permission and to halt and rectify unauthorised development. However, any legal action must be started within seven years of the breach of the planning laws taking place or in the case of a development with Planning Permission, twelve years in total. Care should be taken to ensure that each condition of a permission is fully complied with, in order to avoid incurring such action, and to avoid difficulties when the property is being sold at a later date.

GUIDE ON IRISH PLANNING LAW:

The Irish planning system has only been in place since 1963. The single most important piece of legislation is the Planning and Development Act 2000 and most current developments will be regulated under that Act or subsequent minor legislation.  The ultimate appeal board is An Bórd Pleanála, which handles appeals from all over the country. Here are simple pointers to watch for in the Irish system:

• You won’t find any planning documents older than 1963. When people advertise old houses as “pre 1963” they mean that it’s a bedsit/tenement scenario with no planning history. Only for the bravest of buyers.
• If no planning enforcement has taken place against a development for seven years without Planning Permission or twelve years if the site was subject to Planning Permission, the Local Authority are stature barred from enforcing.
• If a property complies with Planning Permission, it does not mean that it complies with Building Control (under the Building Regulations). That is a separate regime. When acquiring property, you need to be sure that both aspects are covered.
• The planning register is publicly searchable but often incomplete. Some local authorities are better than others in posting information. Best source of information is the planning file and some of these are archived, so can take time to retrieve.
• Always check on zoning if you are looking at a redevelopment.
• Development Plans are updated every 5 years and zoning can and frequently do change.
• Be sure to check the local authority levies situation when applying. Most Local Authorities have updated their financial contribution requirements over the last few years. If acquiring a part-built development, make sure you get full information on any outstanding unpaid bills, as these outstanding bills can be expensive.
• Before acquiring or bidding on a property make sure your solicitor runs a planning search to see whether there are any hidden problems – zoning, CPO, enforcement, declined permissions.
• If a site has any kind of environmental history, get it checked out by specialists. Don’t buy a petrol station without getting the tanks checked. Ignore the branding, do the checks. The planning search and history will not help you there.
• When buying a distressed property (i.e. from a Receiver, Examiner or Liquidator) they will not be providing any warranties on the planning situation. Run your searches but pay for an independent planning report before buying. It is “buyer beware” territory, as there is nobody to go to if you find out too late. 

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