Ireland Sets Up Its First nZEB Training Centre in Wexford

In an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change, the 2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive required that Ireland develop a plan to make all new buildings near Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB) by the end of 2020. Additionally, all new public buildings must be nZEB by 2018. To achieve this goal, the building industry will have to transition to these new standards and regulations, a feat which is not as straightforward as it may sound. In order to facilitate this transition, the nearly Zero Energy Buildings Resource Agency (nZEBRA) is in the process of setting up its first nearly Zero-Energy Building training center near Enniscorthy, Wexford.

The hope is that the training centre is up and running before the nZEB standard becomes obligatory at the beginning of 2021. The training will enable people to become aware of the new nZEB standards and build accordingly and produce cost-optimal designs. This is an exciting step forward towards achieving the nZEB goal and hopefully more training centres will emerge soon to help make the transition easier for anyone in the building industry.

For more information: www.nzebra.ie.