Mr. Seán Armstrong:

The council's figures include existing buildings, but we are discussing the performance requirements for new buildings. The council made its conclusion based on the full housing stock in Ireland. One of the important points to make about new buildings and, in particular, dwellings is that we have ambitious performance requirements. They are possibly the most advanced performance requirements in Europe. We are slightly ahead of the curve, and the rest of Europe will be following us in the next 12 months because we are all working to the same directive. That we introduced renewable energy requirements in 2007 gave us a head start. In terms of energy performance, we have done much of the heavy lifting over the past ten years. Our standards are very advanced and ambitious.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, we have done a cost-optimal calculation, as required by the European directive. It is a net present value calculation, which allows us to compare hundreds of options applied to different types of building. When we apply different packages, including all types of renewable from photovoltaic and heat pump to district heating and gas boiler, the calculations show that the best energy performance for the lowest energy cost will be set at the energy performance requirements that the Minister is proposing to introduce in the coming weeks.