This page is part of our Sustainability section.
The built environment comprises the residential, public and commercial sectors, and accounted for 11.1 % of Ireland’s greenhouse gases (GHG) in 2022, down from 12.3 % in 2021.
The Climate Action Plan 2024 states:
“14.3.2 Construction
Long-term decarbonisation of the built environment will also require us to decrease the emissions associated with production, construction and demolition. This will necessitate significant technological changes to construction processes. The State’s role in this transition will include a range of measures to facilitate, encourage and drive the necessary innovations and technology adoption.”
Key Climate Action Plan Messages
Sectoral Emission Ceilings
- Residential: 29 Mt𝐶𝑂2e for 2021-2025, and 23 Mt𝐶𝑂2e for 2026-2030
- Commercial/Public: 7 Mt𝐶𝑂2e for 2021-2025, and 5 Mt𝐶𝑂2e for 2026-2030
State of Play/Trends in the Sector
- The built environment sector accounted for 11.1% of Ireland’s greenhouse gases in 2022, down from 12.3% in 2021
Key Climate Action Plan Targets:
- All new dwellings designed and constructed to Nearly Zero Energy Building standard by 2025, and Zero Emission Building standard by 2030
- Equivalent of 120,000 dwellings retrofitted to BER B2 or cost optimal equivalent by 2025, and 500,000 dwellings by 2030
- Up to 0.8 TWh of district heating installed capacity across both the residential and commercial building stock by 2025, and up to 2.7 TWh by 2030
- 170,000 new dwellings using heat pumps by 2025, and 280,000 by 2030
- 45,000 existing dwellings using heat pumps by 2025, and 400,000 by 2030
- Up to 0.6 TWh of heating provided by biomethane by 2025, and up to 1.1 TWh by 2030
- Delivery of savings of 0.735 KtCO 2e. in public and commercial buildings