Irene Rondini
Communications Manager at the Irish Green Building Council
Over the next few years, Ireland will implement significant changes to regulations governing new buildings, which will affect how we measure the climate impact of construction.
From 1 January 2028, anyone building a new building larger than 1,000 m² will be required to report its whole-life-cycle emissions. By 1 January 2030, all new buildings will have to do this, and limits on these emissions will be introduced.
So, what does this mean? Until now, buildings have mainly been evaluated for the energy they use once people move in — heating, lighting and power. This is calculated on each Building Energy Rating (BER) cert.
But buildings also cause emissions before anyone steps inside. These emissions come from producing materials like concrete and steel, transporting them and building the structure — as well as maintaining it over time, and eventually taking it apart. These are called embodied emissions, and research for the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) shows they make up 14% of Ireland’s total emissions.
Benefits of planning based on full impact
These new rules aren’t just paperwork — they offer a chance to create better and more efficient buildings. When designers and builders consider a building’s full impact from the beginning, they often end up using fewer new or virgin materials, making spaces more flexible, and choosing options that last longer and cost less to maintain.
Research across Europe shows that cutting these emissions can even save money. A 2022 study found that designs that reduced embodied carbon by over 40% also reduced overall construction costs by 9% on average.
When designers and builders consider a building’s full impact from the beginning, they often end up using fewer new or virgin materials
Case study: Dublin’s Treasury building redevelopment
By reusing large amounts of structural steel, structural engineers at CORA significantly cut the embodied carbon of Dublin’s Treasury building and saved the client money. The CO₂ savings were equivalent to driving from Dublin to Hong Kong more than 500 times.
SEAI has now published a draft method for measuring lifecycle emissions, meaning builders and designers can start using it today. Even though limits for new homes won’t come in until 2030, starting early will help Ireland learn which building choices produce the lowest carbon impact.
