nZEB-Retrofit Symposium
August 18th 2015
Achieving nearly zero- energy buildings
(nZEB) through retrofit
Hosted by:
Informatics Research Unit for Sustainable Engineering (IRUSE)
College of Engineering and Informatics, and Ryan Institute
National University of Ireland, Galway
In collaboration with:
Engineers Ireland West Region
IBPSA Ireland
Location:
ENG-G047, Engineering Building,
University Road, National University of Ireland, Galway
Contact details:
Dr. Jamie Goggins
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Email: jamie.goggins@nuigalway.ie
Tel.: +353 (91) 492609
Sheikh Zuhaib
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Email: s.zuhaib1@nuigalway.ie
Tel.: +353 (91) 493358
www.nzeb-retrofit.com
www.iruse.ie
Contents
Agenda .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Session 1: Governance, standardisation and economics ................................................................ 5
1.
Retrofitting to nZEB- the regulatory perspective............................................................................ 5
2.
BUILD UPON - Co-creating Europe's national renovation strategies ............................................ 5
3. An investigation into the cost optimality of the Passive House retrofit standard using life cycle
cost analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 5
4.
Erris Better Energy Communities 2014 / Fuinneamh Imhareanta Iorras 2014 ............................... 5
Session 2: Showcasing projects- energy efficient retrofits............................................................. 7
5.
FP6 Conerto - SERVE project and lessons learned for 2015 nZEB retrofit pilot project ............... 7
6. Impact of temperature take back on CO2 emission reductions achieved after insulation upgrades
to two detached house ............................................................................................................................. 7
7. A post occupancy evaluation of a low rise social housing complex following an energy retrofit
and refurbishment project ....................................................................................................................... 7
8.
nZEB retrofit case studies ............................................................................................................... 8
9.
An intermediate survey report on retrofit practices by construction professionals in Ireland ........ 8
Session 3: Health, comfort, indoor air quality, energy performance ........................................... 9
10. The impact of energy retrofitting on radon concentrations in homes ............................................. 9
12. A pre-retrofit study on the behavioural habits of occupants in social housing ............................. 10
Session 4: Impact through technology, innovation and implementation ................................... 11
14. BUILT2SPEC- Tools for the 21st century construction worksite ................................................. 11
15. Collaborative BIM program selection and development tool based on maturity of the program
and project requirement ........................................................................................................................ 12
Summary of discussions ....................................................................................................................... 13
Discussion I....................................................................................................................................... 13
Discussion II ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Discussion III .................................................................................................................................... 14
Discussion IV .................................................................................................................................... 14
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 14
Agenda
Time
Session
8:30-9:00
9:15-9:30
9:40-9:50
Presenter
Topic
Registration (Foyer of the Engineering Building)
9:00-9:15 Welcome address
9:30-9:40
Affiliation
Governance,
standardisation
and economics
9:50-10:00
NUI Galway
Dept. of Energy,
Community & Local
Govt.
Irish Green Building
Council
Dublin Institute of
Technology
Mayo County Council
10:00-10:20
10:20-10:50
Gerard Lyons
--
Sean Armstrong
Retrofitting to nZEB-the regulatory
perspective
BUILD UPON - Co-creating Europe's
national renovation strategies
An investigation into the cost optimality of
Daniel Coyle
the passive house retrofit standard using life
cycle cost analysis
Erris Better Energy Communities 2014 /
Enda Casey
Fuinneamh Imhareanta Iorras 2014
Discussion
Pat Barry
Coffee break (Zinc Café)
10:50-11:00
Tipperary Energy
Agency
Paul Kenny
11:00-11:10
Helena McElmeel
Architects
Helena McElmeel
Dun Laoghaire County
Showcasing
Council
projects- energy
efficient retrofits
Passive House
11:20-11:30
Academy
11:10-11:20
11:30-11:40
Health, comfort,
indoor air quality,
12:10-12:20
energy
performance
12:20-12:30
Alan Carr
nZEB retrofit case studies
An intermediate survey report on retrofit
practices by construction professionals in
Ireland
Discussion
NUI Galway
Sheikh Zuhaib
Dept. of Energy,
Community & Local
Govt.
Eamonn Smyth
NUI Galway
Mark J. Foley
11:40-12:00
12:00-12:10
Aidan Shannon
NUI Galway
12:30-12:50
12:50-14:00
FP6 Conerto - SERVE project and lessons
learned for 2015 nZEB retrofit pilot project
Impact of temperature take back on CO2
emission reductions achieved after
insulation upgrades to two detached house
A post occupancy evaluation of a low rise
social housing complex following an energy
retrofit and refurbishment project
The impact of energy retrofitting on radon
concentrations in homes
A review of radon research in Ireland –
current and future projects
A pre-retrofit study on the behavioural
Paul Moran
habits of occupants in social housing
Discussion
Lunch (Zinc Café)
14:30-14:50
The EPISCOPE mapping tool showing
energy efficiency of housing on the
northside of Dublin city
BUILT2SPEC- Tools for the 21st century
Marcus Keane
construction worksite
Collaborative tool for BIM program
Turya Ganguly
selection based on maturity and project
(retrofit) requirement
Discussion
14:50-15:50
Open discussions
14:00-14:10
14:10-14:20
14:20-14:30
Impact through
technology,
innovation and
implementation
15:50-16:00 Closing address
16:00-17:00
Irish Home Energy
Rating, Energy Action
Ltd.
NUI Galway
NUI Galway
NUI Galway
Michael Hanratty
Jamie Goggins
Tour of the Engineering Building - the living laboratory (optional)
Overview
This symposium aims at exploring the topic ‘Achieving Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings through Retrofits’.
This symposium is an attempt to bring together a range of stakeholders to share their expert opinions towards
meeting clients’ needs for building retrofits, as well as the nearly zero- energy targets being set by European
Union. Moreover, this symposium will help in networking between various research groups and industry partners
in Ireland that work in the field of energy efficient retrofits. Immediate requirements of energy efficient retrofit
technologies and solutions, market uptakes, upskilling of labour, stringent building regulations, economic drivers
and other measures for achieving near zero energy retrofits will be discussed in light with the Irish building stock
and construction sector. A range of stakeholders are participating in this symposium, including those from local
authorities, housing agencies, DECLG, EPA, IGBC, architects, contractors, researchers, engineers, and BER
assessors.
The overall goal of our nZEB retrofit project (www.nzeb-retrofit.com) is to examine the effectiveness of
innovative building structural elements and systems, regarding their structural, environmental and energy
performance in retrofitting existing buildings. This will be done with the aim of facilitating the emergence of
products and tools for the development of high performance retrofitted buildings in respect of sustainable
development, in terms of design, consumption, building methods, materials, energy efficiency, costs and user
comfort.
Session 1: Governance, standardisation and economics
1. Retrofitting to nZEB- the regulatory perspective
Sean Armstrong
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG), Dublin, Ireland
Seán Armstrong will provide an update on the direction of current regulations to take account of EU Energy
Efficiency targets and Directives including Cost Optimal and Nearly Zero Energy Buildings Definition. His
presentation will also explain how existing Building Regulations apply to retrofit and it will provide a summary
of regulatory tools and standards to support retrofit including SR 54 the NSAI Code of Practice for the energy
efficient retrofit of existing dwellings.
2. BUILD UPON - Co-creating Europe's national renovation strategies
Pat Barry
Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), Dublin, Ireland
BUILD UPON is an innovative two year Horizon 2020 project, aimed at helping European countries design and
implement strong, long-term national strategies for the renovation of their existing buildings. Since the Energy
Efficiency Directive was agreed, many countries have struggled to define and implement comprehensive national
renovation strategies to scale-up and deepen the rate of energy efficient improvements. BUILD UPON will guide
a critical mass of key stakeholders across 13 countries through a structured process, working as a powerful
collaborative community to help design and implement the v2.0 national renovation strategies due to be in place
by April 2017. The project is supported by the Department of Communication Energy and National Resources.
3. An investigation into the cost optimality of the Passive House retrofit standard
using life cycle cost analysis
Daniel Coyle
School of Architecture, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland
The Passive House standard represents perhaps the current 'state-of-the-art' in low-energy building design, and is
hailed by its advocates as a cost-optimal standard to be applied to both new and existing dwellings in order to
achieve Ireland’s energy and CO2 reduction targets. However, meeting the rigorous standards of Passive House
in existing buildings is demanding and generally requires significantly higher initial capital investments. The study
aims to conduct an investment appraisal of the Passive House retrofit standard in order to determine if it could
become a cost-optimal model for the deep-retrofit of Irish dwellings. The problem is investigated using energy
analysis (DEAP v3.2) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis tools (BLCC5), applied to a real-life case study Passive House
dwelling retrofit project. An individual approach is developed for assessing the project’s initial capital costs, as
well as future operational costs. Total life cycle costs for the baseline (pre-retrofit) dwelling, the Passive House
retrofitted dwelling, and a range of alternative retrofit scenarios are computed. An economic appraisal, using Life
Cycle Cost Analysis together with sensitivity analysis, demonstrates that the deep retrofitting of an existing
dwelling to the Passive House standard can be cost optimal, but only when longer investment periods (≥ 30 years),
low discount rates (≤ 4%), positive fuel inflation (≥ 4%) and inclusion of residual values are considered.
4. Erris Better Energy Communities 2014 / Fuinneamh Imhareanta Iorras 2014
Enda Casey
Enterprise & Investment Unit, Mayo County Council,Castlebar, Ireland
The move to renewable energy (RES-E, RES-H & RES-T) is inexorable and accelerating. Mayo County Council's
Enterprise and Investment Unit has identified through a 2014 independent emerging sectors report that renewable
energy sector will be a significant contributor to the county's future economic growth. However, before
incorporating new renewable technologies into the built environment, it is essential that buildings should be
adequately insulated and retrofitted, negating the unrestricted flow of energy from the buildings. Retro-fitting
initiatives achieve not only significant environmental returns but are also labour intensive and support economic
activity. This is what the SEAI supported Erris Better Energies Communities Program 2014 was all about. The
program involved a mix of energy efficiency measures such as insulation upgrades to 13 no. community buildings
together with introducing new PV installations and new Electrical Vehicles to the region. The scheme has resulted
in annual energy reduction in the region of just <200,000 KWh-E of energy and equates to annual savings of
€32,000 PA.
Session 2: Showcasing projects- energy efficient retrofits
5. FP6 Conerto - SERVE project and lessons learned for 2015 nZEB retrofit pilot
project
Paul Kenny
Tipperary Energy Agency (TEA), Cahir, Ireland
In 2006-2010 The EU funded serve project supported the retrofit of 350 homes to achieve a 40% energy saving.
The results after a detailed study show significant savings and where the impacts were made. The lessons from
this project have been incorporated into the 2015 pilot nZEB project that is being delivered as a better energy
finance pilot with electric Ireland and AIB bank, seeking to get a 50-70% reduction in cost, emissions and primary
energy.
6. Impact of temperature take back on CO2 emission reductions achieved after
insulation upgrades to two detached house
Helena McElmeel
Helena McElmeel Architects, Galway, Ireland
Improvement of the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock is a core element of the National Energy
Efficiency Action Plan. The Better Energy Homes and Better Energy Warmer Homes are the primary grant
schemes in operation in Ireland at present incentivising upgrade works. Anticipated energy savings are the
primary motivating factor for individuals part-taking in such state incentivised schemes with comfort gain forming
the second most important factor influencing any investment.
This study investigates the impact of typical insulation upgrades by monitoring house temperatures in two
detached houses for short periods before and after insulation works. The observed before and after works mean
temperature data is used to develop specific DEAP models to assess the impact of temperature take back on CO2
emissions savings resultant from the works, determining the level of direct rebound effect, i.e. the amount of
potential CO2 emission reductions taken back as additional warmth in the properties. Unexpectedly high levels
of ‘take back’ are predicted, if the observed short range temperature increases were to be sustained in the longer
term. The embodied energy of the insulation materials is also calculated to determine the net CO2 emission
reductions achieved and to assess the impact of temperature ‘take back’ on the carbon payback period of the
works.
7. A post occupancy evaluation of a low rise social housing complex following an
energy retrofit and refurbishment project
Aidan Shannon
Dun Laoghaire County Council, Dublin, Ireland
Through the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (2009-2020) the Irish government has set ambitious targets
for reducing carbon emissions for local authorities by 33 % by 2020. In doing so a new impetus has been set to
bring older social housing stock in Ireland up to a minimum Building Energy Rating (BER) of C1. To date there
is a scarcity of empirical data to demonstrate the outcomes post works; following an energy retrofit refurbishment
project. A post occupancy evaluation was undertaken to investigate the energy efficiency performance of a low
rise social housing complex. This paper highlights the importance of monitoring a building post works, testing its
functions and improving research towards sustainable housing conditions and affordable warmth for low income
households.
The research comprised of a comprehensive review focusing on energy consumption, internal room temperatures
and post occupancy feedback. Semi structured interviews were conducted with occupants post works examining
the socio-cultural factors and their experiences. Whilst the findings are representative of the occupant’s verbal
responses, the indoor room temperatures recorded support the occupant’s concerted views. The current design
principles give Comfort and thermal conditions greater importance over health and indoor air quality (IAQ).
Local authorities have an opportunity to inform and educate their residents; the benefits gained may be
undermined by the fact that only a minority of occupants are aware of why the works are undertaken. Real life
research highlights the need for frequent negotiation and adjustment, with all stakeholders which will improve
design strategies, contractor’s scope and most importantly improve living standards for residents. The practical
implications of the findings are likely to be of interest to Local Government and housing organisations, intending
on implementing similar retrofit and refurbishment projects towards buildings that were constructed almost half
a century ago.
8. nZEB retrofit case studies
Alan Carr
Passive House Academy, Wicklow, Ireland
This presentation will look at two case studies, the first is the proposed nZEB Retrofit of Liberty Hall, one of
Dublin’s most iconic buildings which was built in the 1960’s. The presentation will look at the base case building
performance, the problems to be overcome and the solutions. The second case study is a EuroPHit project which
the Passive house Academy are currently consulting on to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, it includes
the renovation and extension of an existing 1970’s two-storey block of apartments to a three-storey home for the
elderly.
9. An intermediate survey report on retrofit practices by construction professionals
in Ireland
Sheikh Zuhaib, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz & Jamie Goggins
IRUSE Galway, Department of Civil Engineering and Ryan Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
This study is being conducted to investigate the prespective of construction industry professionals in the retrofit
industry across Ireland. The aim of this survey is to collect data of the on-going building retrofit practices to
provide a decision support system through research for the development of n-ZEB technologies and systems by
reviewing the current status and problems. Collected data will be based on the experiences and concerns related
to the energy efficiency. It is an attempt to gather maximum responses so that we can work to provide better
solutions to the community by integrating the results to our research.
Session 3: Health, comfort, indoor air quality, energy performance
10. The impact of energy retrofitting on radon concentrations in homes
Staphanie Long1 & Eamonn Smyth2
1
Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG), Dublin, Ireland
2
There have been very few studies of the impact of thermal retrofitting on radon level in homes. However, some
studies have shown that energy retrofitting can increase radon levels in homes by up to 50%, particularly where
multiple measures are installed. This lack of information in an Irish context was identified by the National Radon
Control Strategy as a research need. As a first step in addressing this question a pilot study was carried out between
the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and
10 local authorities. 142 homes that had previously been tested for radon and were then energy retrofitted were
retested to assess the impact of this work on radon levels. Retrofitting work included various combinations of
attic insulation, cavity wall insulation, draught proofing and installation of new windows and doors. For each set
of retrofit measures results show a significant decrease in radon levels in some homes and a significant increase
in others. For measures such as cavity wall and loft insulation, on average, there is no impact on radon levels.
Where measures included replacing or sealing windows and doors combined with other measures, there is an
apparent increase of up to 50% in radon levels following retrofitting. However, these conclusions are limited by
the fact that some measures were applied to a small number of homes and other common energy retrofitting
measures (such as external wall insulation) were not part of the study.
11. A review of radon research in Ireland – current and future projects
Mark J. Foley
School of Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
Radon (222Rn) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas which has been identified as a human carcinogen by the
World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (IARC, 1988; Clement, 2010). Uranium (238U) present in soil and rocks
gives rise to a decay chain in which one of the daughters is radon. Radon is a natural inert gas with a half-life of
approximately 3.8 days which can permeate through the soil and release into the atmosphere. Outdoor levels do
not pose a health risk as the average outdoor levels in Ireland tend to range from 4 -6 Bq.m-3 (Gunning, 2014).
However, indoor concentrations can be significantly higher with the highest reported indoor level in Ireland at
49,000 Bq.m-3 (reference level 200 Bq.m-3 in Ireland).
Inhaling radon gas has been shown to cause lung cancer through the decay its short lived daughter products (such
as alpha emitting polonium-218 and polonium-214), which induce pulmonary cell DNA damage. The scale of this
health issue is significant as radon induced lung cancer is second only to smoking as a cause to this disease (WHO,
2009). It is estimated that indoor radon levels accounts for 9% of deaths from lung cancer and about 2% of all
deaths from cancer in Europe (Darby et al. 2005). The estimates for the global average indoor levels were
approximately 40 Bq.m-3 and the average indoor levels in Ireland were approximately 90 Bq.m-3 (UNSCEAR
2000). However, large range variations in these levels have been reported both nationally and internationally due
to a large number of variables including geographic location, geology, building type and design, and atmospheric
conditions which can have a significant effect on the recorded levels.
The National Radon Control Strategy identified several knowledge gaps and research needs which could inhibit
the effective delivery of the strategy. This presentation will highlight some radon research being carried out in
Ireland and present a synopsis of some future projects.
12. A pre-retrofit study on the behavioural habits of occupants in social housing
Paul Moran1, Henrike Rau2, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz3 & Jamie Goggins4
1,3,4
IRUSE Galway, Department of Civil Engineering and Ryan Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
2
Department of Geography, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Energy efficiency is a complex issue spanning different disciplines including engineering, architecture, economics
and social sciences. The literature to date demonstrates that there is potential for energy savings due to measures
targeting behavioural change. Technical interventions alone have lower impact and are more expensive to
implement if carried out in isolation i.e. without an accompanying programme designed to encourage behavioural
change. Thus it is necessary to investigate the behavioural habits and attitudes of people towards energy and
carbon consumption and if these are altered, the energy savings that can be made.
Presented are some of the main results from a survey carried out on 38 houses in two social housing estates located
in counties Donegal and Dublin, respectively. The surveys were carried out in November 2012 and
February/March 2015 prior to retrofitting works on the social houses to bring them to a lower energy standard.
Information was gathered with respect to the demographic profiles of the tenants, their behaviour and attitude
towards energy and carbon consumption, their thermal satisfaction within their homes and items they consider to
be necessities or luxuries in their lives.
Session 4: Impact through technology, innovation and implementation
13. The EPISCOPE mapping tool showing energy efficiency of housing on the
northside of Dublin city
Michael Hanratty
IHER Energy Services Ltd, Dublin, Ireland
The Intelligent Energy Europe EPISCOPE (Energy Performance Indicator Tracking Schemes for the Continuous
Optimisation of Refurbishment Processes in European Housing Stocks) (2013-2016) project involves partners
from 16 Member States. Energy Action Limited based in Dublin is the Irish EPISCOPE partner. Within
EPISCOPE each partner will implement their own national, regional or local monitoring activity focussing on
tracking the actual refurbishment rates and actual energy consumption of national or local housing stocks. The
datasets of the building stocks will be analysed, energy performance indicators will be extracted and scenario
calculations by use of a building stock model will be performed to assess refurbishment rates.
The Irish EPISCOPE pilot action focusses on monitoring the refurbishment activity for the housing stock of the
Northside of Dublin City. Multiple data sources have been examined as part of this study including the national
BER database, national energy efficiency programme data provided by SEAI and a field survey. In addition, the
Irish Pilot Action includes the development of a building energy mapping tool designed to map BER variables
and building types for defined geographical areas. The objective was to demonstrate the contribution that mapping
could make to nZEB refurbishment planning and strategies and that the TABULA building typologies could also
be shown in a mapped format. The mapping application has now been created and it has the ability to present
BER data in many different ways giving insights that tabular data alone would not give, e.g. showing geographical
clusters of given housing types. The pilot action will also aim to explore the considerable potential that mapping
can provide to further the speed and effectiveness of current refurbishment programmes.
14. BUILT2SPEC- Tools for the 21st century construction worksite
Marcus Keane, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz & Jamie Goggins
IRUSE Galway, Department of Civil Engineering and Ryan Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
Built2Spec stands for Built to Specifications - Tools for the 21st century construction site. The project consortium
of 20 European partners brings together a new and breakthrough set of technological advances for self-inspection
and quality assurance that will be put into the hands of construction stakeholders to help meet EU energy
efficiency targets, standards for constructing new buildings, and related policy ambitions.
Built2Spec will expand upon a cloud based construction support platform, conceived following the most advanced
integrated design and delivery framework for the building sector and hosting applications that facilitate worksite
activities and quality compliance by putting knowledge in hands of contractors. This will be achieved in the form
of shared design specifications and 3D models, installation guidelines, information on regulatory frameworks, and
help from construction experts on smartphones and tablets.
The Built2Spec platform will be integrated into the operations of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
contractors, large construction firms, and end user clients directly within the consortium and work program
activities, assuring systematic and scientific performance measures, feedback and powerful exploitation and
dissemination strategies. Built2Spec was one of 94 projects submitted to the 2014 call for Energy - efficient
Buildings (H2020-EeB-2014). 20 projects (out of 94) were above the threshold, but only 13 were funded by the
European Commission. The Built2Spec project was ranked first of all projects in this call. Furthermore, NUI
Galway together with two Irish SMEs in this consortium (Oran Pre-Cast Ltd and EcoFix Ltd) were the only
successful participants from Ireland in this EeB call.
15. Collaborative BIM program selection and development tool based on maturity of
the program and project requirement
Turya Ganguly, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz, Marcus Keane & Jamie Goggins
IRUSE Galway, Department of Civil Engineering and Ryan Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
The construction industry of today is undergoing a rapid change. With the BIM mandate in the UK making
collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) a
requirement on its projects by 2016, there has been a marked change in behaviour of the players of the industry
such as the designers, engineers, architects and builders in the country, to fulfil the criteria set up by the
government. Essentially the UK Government has embarked with industry on a four year programme for sector
modernisation with the key objective of: reducing capital cost and the carbon burden from the construction and
operation of the built environment by 20%. Central to these ambitions is the adoption of information rich Building
Information Modelling (BIM) technologies, process and collaborative behaviours that will unlock new more
efficient ways of working at all stages of the project life‐cycle. Ireland, however, is lagging behind the UK when
it comes to adoption of such modern technologies and methods of Project Information Management (PIM). Only
a few clients have BIM level 2 sophistication included in their projects. New projects as well as the ones requiring
major refurbishments and retrofitting are being operated in traditional methods and plans. Few organisations use
BIM level 1 only in their projects, which means that the information is only managed CAD in 2D or 3D format
with a collaborative tool providing a common data environment with a standardised approach to data structure
and format. In this level, commercial data is managed by standalone finance and cost management packages with
no integration. A handful of organisations in Ireland are using BIM protocols of any level in their organisation,
the majority of which are from the UK.
Given the immense scope for retrofitting of the Irish housing stock and the absence of a proper methodology to
achieve that, the time is right to work on a tool that will be able to integrate the various aspects of building system.
This research is the Work Package 4 (WP4) of the nZEB Retrofit project, funded by the Science Foundation
Ireland (SFI), and aims at evaluating the effectiveness of innovative structural elements for retrofitting existing
buildings. What this research aims to deliver is a strong collaborative tool which will be instrumental is selecting
the best BIM program (e.g. Revit, ArchiCAD, Rhino, Sketchup) for retrofit projects. The user will have the
flexibility of determining the maturity level of certain functionality and usability features of the programs, which
will be project specific, based on which they will be assigned points. The tool will also take into account the PAS
1192-2:2013, PAS 1192-3:2014, BS 1192-4:2014 and PAS 1192-5:2015, which are the most important standards
for level 2 BIM attainment, and whether the project features in the documents are supported by the tool. The
uniqueness of the tool will be in the fact that the tool will determine the maturity and project viability of the BIM
programs, in comparison to the past tools that have focussed more on the process maturity. The authors plan to
connect this tool to energy rating tools (LEED, BREEAM, DEAP, NEAP etc.) as well as energy analysis program
(EnergyPlus, TRNSYS, IES etc.) in tandem with probable newly developed PAS / BS standards and the building
regulatory standards demanded by the SEAI, CEN and EPBD directive as a part of its future developments.
Summary of discussions
Discussion I
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Retaining of facades and the character is of concern and the legislation has to look upon.
Clearance on raising roof heights should be looked upon through planning authorities.
Façade designs are being carried out without the character of the area.
Retrofits are the opportunity to improve the character of the buildings which are completely character
less.
Problem convincing people in energy efficiency world that there is a balance between efficiency and
supply.
Cost-optimal curves can be achieved only when energy efficient retrofits are carried out with renovation
projects. This brings savings up to 50-60%.
Better financial structure required for people in Ireland to uptake retrofits. Banking institutes does not
support the retrofit industry.
Right financing schemes are key barriers for the retrofit uptake.
There are plans from government towards paying for micro-generation.
Community wind farm in Ireland is underway by TEA. Community renewable energy suppliers are
working together now.
There is short sightedness in the nZEB target set by European Union as people are encouraged to use
renewables, especially electrical renewables the return is impractical and underestimated compared to
the target of 2020.
Development of storage technologies for micro-generation or on-site storage of energy is a promising
sector and it is being promoted by the government.
Form of the buildings is not taken into consideration as it is a planning issue.
DEAP has a drawback where the replacement of glazing type (eg. triple to double glazed) in relation to
directions the overall energy performance increases but this factor is ignored in the calculations.
Operational energy needs to be addressed.
Embodied energy should be considered in a more elaborate manner in a project.
Holistic approaches are required from the perspective of LCCA analysis towards embodied energy and
embodied carbon.
SEAI is in a process of preparation of a document related to embodied energy and carbon. It is expected
to be a guidance for embodied energy and carbon.
Home Quality Rating is a type of project under development by IGBC that address the issue of embodied
energy. The business plan is under process and it will be based on the generic data.
Discussion II
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Lot of effort is required in calibration of temperature sensors.
Location and height is important to record the temperatures inside the rooms.
Technology suppliers have limited information with them about the product and have relatively less
experience to guide the customers.
Retrofit industry have very less qualified professionals and major people participating are contractors
with very less technical information and just focus on what to do.
Application of retrofits is being entirely non-professional as people are not paying to the professionals.
Difficult to get detailed unbiased test from the suppliers.
Better technical information should be available to people where they can understand the need of various
professionals.
We are in a big transition educating people, tradesmen etc. about the various technical information.
Sorting the end-user requirement has to be looked upon.
SR-54 looks at total housing retrofit and it is available for people. It’s more for designers but it gives an
elemental view.
Customers want cheapest solution and it is downgrading the results.
There is a lack of certainty of what is required in the retrofit industry.
General guidelines are required to what is required to achieve.
People are not sure to what level of heat savings are required to achieve or what a building should achieve.
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Tax the fuels, information should be provided to people eg. credible retrofitters in their vicinity and
grants have to be supplied to people to increase and implement the retrofits.
Implementation of retrofits is challenging. Cheap way to build trust is to reach out to people through web
and certain programmes that increase the number of retrofits.
Capturing the national renovation rate i.e. 1-2% of the building stock for retrofits is a good opportunity.
Cost-optimal retrofits are not best to do in most of the cases as it renders bigger failures and problems.
The entirety of the building has to be looked upon.
Discussion III
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Radon concentration can be reduced by ventilation.
Remediation of radon concentration was done through gathering the data on type of houses and
construction.
Concept of passive sump being looked upon in building regulations.
Positive pressurisation of dwelling is good to prevent the radon concentration.
Very few people do remediation for the high concentrations.
Discussion IV
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Updating of the radon concentration maps will be able to provide better picture of areas that needs to
be addressed.
The units used in kWh/m2 in obtaining the data is not related to the no. of people or size of the house.
This does not convey energy efficiency efficiently.
It is difficult to monitor how people are over designing the houses in comparison to the number of
people living in it.
More easy and understanding level is required to reach out to people for energy efficient retrofits. A
simpler way of education is required. Public should see the reason of doing retrofits.
TV programs with different typologies of house retrofits will be informative for the people.
SFI has tied up with RTE working in the direction of science and technology and retrofit projects can
be showcased to inform people.
A bigger incentive should be given to people who aim for higher BER rating.
Lot of uncertainties exist in data being recorded for performance of retrofits and there is a lack of any
protocol for measurements and verification of projects.
Economic value of the house is related to the BER rating and people don’t have any information about
the economics related to life cycle.
People do not care of the operational energy during retrofits.
It is assumed that new builds have good energy rating.
Big gap exists in Ireland in good database and measured database.
Public do not understand the benefits of retrofits.
If we need to improve the funding systems we need to look beyond the models in Germany to see how
better different professionals are working.
We should have one stop website where everybody is lined in. We are very fragmented.
This one stop shop will guide professionals and people.
Acknowledgements
This symposium is hosted by IRUSE Galway within the College of Engineering & Informatics and Ryan Institute
in conjunction with Engineers Ireland West Region and IBPSA Ireland. We hereby acknowledge the Department
of Civil Engineering and College of Engineering & Informatics, NUI Galway for providing the financial support
for the symposium. We would also like to acknowledge the support of Science Foundation Ireland through the
Career Development Award programme (Grant No. 13/CDA/2200).