Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the measures he is taking to ensure that public buildings comply with the energy performance of buildings directive; if he believes all public buildings will meet the 2028 deadline; to breakdown the number of public buildings that have been retrofitted to achieve this standard in each of the years 2015 to 2025, in tabular form; and to provide a breakdown of the number of buildings that do not meet this standard and the proportion of the total number of publicly owned buildings is this. [33761/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility, on behalf of the state, for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate portfolio. This includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. However, this does not extend to all public buildings, with other bodies such as the Health Services Executive and Local Authorities, having large portfolios of public buildings under their remit.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2024/1975 was transposed into Irish law on 3rd January 2025 through Statutory Instrument No. 749/2024 – European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2024.

This directive forms a key part of the States strategy to its reduction of Greenhouse Gas emission reduction by 2030 and achievement of net zero by 2050.

This EPBD directive is a key legislative measure aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in buildings The requirements of the EPBD have also been included in the Climate Action Plan 2025 under which the OPW have obligations. To address these obligations the OPW is also a member of this Heat and Built Environment Task Force and the associated Public Sector Buildings Working Group. This working group is developing a Road Map report for Government to provide direction for decarbonisation of the public sector building stock.

While the EPBD introduces ambitious targets, not all public buildings are required to meet the requirements immediately. The EPBD outlines phased implementation measures to be introduced.

As a State Body, the OPW is committed to complying with Government policy and regulatory requirements under the EPBD. Key obligations for 2028 include:

• From 1st January 2028:
  • All new public buildings owned by the OPW to be zero-emission buildings.
  • New buildings require a calculated life cycle Global Warming Potential (GWP), in line with EPBD requirements.
• By 31st December 2027:
  • Existing public buildings with a useful floor area greater than 750 m² must be assessed for the installation of suitable solar energy systems, where technically, economically, and functionally feasible.