Part L Compliance Explained
When building a new house in Ireland, you must obtain Planning Permission from your Local Authority / County Council and you must comply with all parts of the Building Regulations.
Part L of the Building Regulations relates to energy performance. A proportion of the energy consumption of all new houses must be derived from renewable technologies. You must have some form of technology or combination of technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps (typically Geothermal or Air source), wood burning stove etc., to be compliant.
A Part L report is similar to a Provisional BER, in that it shows that the building will comply with current Part L regulations, but it can be updated if there are changes made to the design and specification during the course of a project.
Provisional BER Explained
A Provisional BER is an energy rating of a dwelling prior to the commencement of construction, based on the design and drawings.
It outlines how a dwelling will comply with Part L of the building regulations and achieve the minimum A2 rating.
A Provisional BER is required by County Councils to be uploaded along with the commencement notice before building commences.
A provisional BER is valid for a maximum of 2 years.
Following the construction of the dwelling, the Provisional BER is replaced by a new-final BER certificate. The new-final BER is an assessment of the home, as constructed, and includes a survey of the completed building.
How We Can Help
At BER Cert Dublin, we specialize in supplying Part L compliance reports for housing developments and self-build projects.
We can advise our clients clearly and competently on how to best achieve compliance with Part L in a cost effective way with a single technology or mix of technologies.
BER Cert Dublin provide tailored packages that include the following:
- Provisional BER calculation and certificate.
- Report outlining measures how to achieve Part L compliance.
- DEAP 4.2.0 dwelling report.
- Amendments to Part L report (if required).
- Builder BER specification sheet which can be used in the tender process and by the builder throughout the build.
- Final BER survey and certificate registration.
- Advice and guidance at pre-construction and during construction.
Part L of the Building Regulations sets out requirements in relation to the conservation of fuel and energy.
Part L was updated in 2019 to include the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD) requirement for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings.
Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)
Since 2020, all new buildings in the EU are required to be ‘nearly-zero energy buildings’. It means that all new buildings – as of 2020 – must have a high energy performance and very low-energy needs, covered largely by onsite and nearby renewable energy sources.
This will be replaced by a further enhanced ‘zero-emission buildings’ requirement, starting from 2028 for new buildings owned by public bodies and 2030 for all other new buildings.
Zero-Emission Buildings
The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (EU/2024/1275), adopted in May 2024, enhances the energy performance requirements for new buildings.
It requires all new residential and non-residential buildings to be zero-emission buildings as of 1 January 2028 for buildings owned by public bodies and 1 January 2030 for all other new buildings, with the possibility for specific exemptions.
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BER Cert Dublin
16 Beaumont Crescent
Beaumont
Dublin
D09 KT51
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