An Irish start-up Housebuild.ie has launched an online cost calculator to more easily, writes Rachel Cunningham.
The free calculator is the latest addition to the all-in-one green building hub for homeowners, self-builders, construction professionals and tradespeople.
The Climate Action Plan, published in 2019, set out targets to retrofit 500,000 homes to achieve a higher Building Energy Rating (BER) by 2030, and install heat pumps in 400,000 existing homes and businesses. All new-build homes are now also required to have a BER rating of A2, putting them in the ‘Near Zero Energy Building’ (NZEB) category.
Homeowners looking into green-build and renovation projects for the first time can struggle with green build standards and regulations, materials and technologies, in addition to eligibility requirements for the various sustainability grants and other green supports on offer, which is where the site hopes to help.
Eoghain Ryan, co-founder and director of Housebuild.ie, commented on why the service decided to launch the calculator this week: “World Green Building Week is really important for us here at Housebuild.ie. It’s the biggest annual campaign to accelerate sustainable buildings globally.
“Buildings are responsible for 38 per cent of global energy-related carbon emissions and 50 per cent of all extracted materials. Here in Ireland, the green-building revolution is underway with the Government’s Climate Action Plan setting out targets for new-builds, retrofit and home energy efficiency upgrades. Our aim at Housebuild.ie is to make this whole area easier to understand and navigate for everyone involved.”
He added: “Our cost calculator follows the same standard template used by Quantity Surveyors and allows professionals and individuals to put together a guideline budget for their project. It can be really big help to be able to put a structure on the potential cost of your project early on.”
Since its launch last February, Housebuild.ie has attracted more than 30,000 unique visitors and the site has noted an 80 per cent increase in people browsing the ‘Go Green’ section since June.
“Building an energy-efficient home can be tricky, so we’ve built this resource to give you access to all the construction details you may need. It is the most comprehensive repository of construction information and technical knowledge currently available in Ireland, with building guidelines right through from substructure to roof level and from airtightness to insulation”, Mr Ryan concluded.
PHOTO – Ailish and Eoghain Ryan, Housebuild.ie, Salthill, Galway. Pic Arthur Ellis
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