Mr. Seán Armstrong:

There are two aspects to the question. One is about how we are encouraging new technologies. The other is about standard design and construction, and maybe how we are encouraging rapid delivery and off-site construction. On rapid delivery, the Department has been involved in setting up frameworks and has worked with the Office of Government Procurement, OGP, and Dublin City Council in setting up a rapid-delivery framework in January 2017. I believe 12 rapid-delivery providers were appointed to that system. One is under way with Dublin City Council for multi-unit developments. There are also plans for further low-rise rapid-delivery frameworks.

The development of these frameworks is leading innovation. They are not typical construction types. They need certification and to go through due process to ensure they meet the 12 parts of the building regulations, in particular Part D, and that they are fit for their intended use. As we put out the rapid-delivery frameworks, we find that the suppliers are becoming more robust in their certification and becoming more detailed in how they present their tenders and their certification. They are improving the quality of what they are delivering. The provision of these rapid-delivery frameworks also is giving the suppliers confidence to put in place supply systems to deliver rapid-delivery frameworks.

In the context of energy, off-site construction has many advantages. It provides greater precision in tolerance. It is possible to do more detailed work in a factory environment and it is more repeatable. With regard to the attention to detail, rapid delivery supports the nearly-zero-energy building agenda for new dwellings. In addition the Department is developing standard specifications for local authorities to provide not a standard specification but standard guidelines to inform local authorities how they can standardise their designs. They are due quite soon. That is on the rapid-delivery side.

Some of that can be transferred to the retrofit area. In the Netherlands there is the example of Energiesprong, which is an off-site manufacturing system that can be applied with repeatable social housing of a poor quality. They develop a standardised design. It is manufactured in the factory and then brought to the site. It is implemented at scale and at lower cost. There is an opportunity to develop off-site in the retrofit area as well. The Chairman spoke about career development. All that creates certainty and is very interesting for people who want to work in the construction sector.

The other question related to new technologies. Building-integrated PV will be a new technology. If we can see it in glazing, we will see it in roof tiles. As these products come on the market and become certified, we work with the SEAI to incorporate them into our calculation methodologies. We work very quickly to adapt our calculation methodologies to introduce stuff.

We are also integrating the new exhaust air heat pump technology into our calculations.