- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2022
Deep Energy Renovation of Historic Buildings in Ireland
The European Commission supported the Office of Public Works and the Limerick City & County Council in increasing energy efficiency of historic buildings through analysis, technical case studies and recommendations to enhance guidance and investment for improving the energy performance of historic buildings.
Context
Historical buildings make up about 15% of Ireland’s building stock and have a role to play in both the EU’s and Ireland’s climate mitigation ambitions. Although protected structures are exempt from some regulations, Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2023 mandates a 50% energy efficiency improvement for the public sector, including historical buildings, by 2030.
Across Ireland and the EU, there is a lack of expertise and case studies in this area. Renovating historical buildings is complicated by heritage aspects and hygrothermal risks from improper insulation. Financial, skills, and capacity challenges also exist, demanding widespread knowledge dissemination and upskilling.
Support delivered
The project was funded by the EU's Technical Support Instrument and implemented by Trinomics, Technological University of the Shannon, Shaffrey Architects, and Passivate Building Energy Consultants. It supported the Office of Public Works and Limerick City and County Council by developing technical energy renovation case studies for four historic buildings in Ireland; performing embodied carbon and cost-benefit analyses to assess carbon emissions-related, environmental and economic impacts; a training programme to transfer knowledge; and developing guidelines for establishing a sustainable local/regional investment fund for the renovation of historical buildings.
Results achieved
The project served to further improve Ireland’s capacity to renovate historical buildings from a technical and financial perspective, through supporting the Office of Public Works in strengthening capacity and awareness to accelerate the renovation of historical buildings, and through advising the Limerick City and County Council on how to establish a sustainable local/regional investment fund for renovating historical buildings.
The project results will contribute to enhancing energy efficiency in heritage properties under state care, aligning with broader climate change mitigation goals.
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: