NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Buildings)

A ‘Nearly Zero Energy Building’ (NZEB) means a building that has a very high energy performance. The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required by the building should be covered mostly by energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby. The NZEB standard will apply to all new buildings occupied after the 31st December 2020. For public sector bodies, the standard will apply to all new buildings owned or occupied by the 31st December 2018.

Members of the ORS Energy Team have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Analysis and Energy Retrofit in the Dublin Institute of Technology.  The team is highly knowledgeable in the area of NZEB and can offer specialist advice and guidance.

Part L Compliance

Our team can offer specialist advice and guidance on the area of Part L compliance. ORS also provides whole building energy modelling and thermal bridging analysis. We take a holistic design approach which allows our clients to design more accurately, more efficiently and at an optimum cost.

Building Energy Modelling

Building Energy Modelling simplifies the design and delivery of sustainable buildings. It allows for straightforward comparison between different energy conservation methods, with a clear overview of their impact on the overall energy load. Services include:
• Regulatory assessment for Part L compliance
• Assessing alternative design strategies
• Verifying energy saving measures
• Diagnosing overheating problems
• Assessing the energy performance of building portfolios

Non-Domestic Buildings

The implementation of Part L of the Building Regulations 2017 (NZEB) shows Ireland’s commitment to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Improving the performance of buildings has many benefits such as reduced lifetime operational costs of the building and improved occupant comfort.

Given that we spend up to 90% of our life in buildings it is paramount that we create healthy internal environments.
New non-residential buildings receiving planning permission after the 31st of December 2018 must comply with Part L of the Building Regulations 2017 (NZEB).

As we are in a transitional period, Part L of the Building Regulation 2011 will still apply where:

• Works, material alteration or changes of use commenced or took place on or before 31st December 2018.
• Planning approval or permission for the building has been applied for on or before 31st December 2018, and substantial work has been completed by 1st January 2020.

Domestic Buildings

The Irish Government is implementing regulations for dwellings in 2019 to meet the NZEB standard.

A new NZEB (Dwelling) will typically correspond to an A2 Building Energy Rating (BER). For all new builds, its  proposed  that NZEB will be equivalent to a 25% improvement in energy performance on the 2011 Building Regulations. For domestic buildings, compliance will be demonstrated using the DEAP methodology.