Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 26 April 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion

Mr. Pat Barry:

There was one on sunlight. I agree that sunlight should be included in plans and strategies and some development plans do require sunlight calculations. Sunlight and daylight, however, should be considered factors in this regard. I also agree regarding the front-loading of the national development plan. We should be moving to a net-zero carbon emissions specification for all developments from now on. To take an example, a hospital proposed to be designed in 2022 will not, potentially, be completed until 2035. Therefore, a net-zero carbon standard must be applied to the full life cycle of buildings like that from the very start.