Electric.ie May/June 2021

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 13 Industry News New NSAI Standard on Heat Pumps in homes will help Ireland hit its climate targets T his new Standard Recommendation is one of a suite of measures developed by NSAI in direct response to actions set out in the Climate Action Plan 2019, the framework that sets out how Ireland will achieve its ambitious decarbonisation targets. Implementing this new Standard Recommendation will support the installation of 600,000 heat pumps in homes that are already suitable for the technology by 2030. These targets are set out in the Programme for Government. NSAI CEO Geraldine Larkin said: “I am very pleased we have published this new National Standard Recommendation for the design and installation of Heat Pumps in homes. NSAI is playing its part to drive down carbon emissions by supporting actions on the supply chain for renewables, retrofitting homes and climate adaptation. ർ The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has developed and published a new National Standard Recommendation for the design and installation of Heat Pumps in homes. “NSAI are working across different sectors providing environmental standards helping large companies and SMEs minimize their environmental footprint. “We will continue to deliver Standards that ensure that sound environmental practices are ingrained as best practice as Ireland transitions to a more circular economy.” Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail said: “I am delighted to support the NSAI in the launch of its new standard on heat pumps for homes in Ireland. It is incumbent on all organisations - public and private – to work towards achieving Ireland’s goal to reduce its CO2 emissions by 2030. “NSAI is playing its part with this new standard which will help public and private homes make the change to cleaner and more sustainable heating systems, and with a knock-on effect of new job opportunities for those businesses in retrofitting works.” The Standard Recommendation (S.R. 50-4:2021) concentrates on the types of heat pump that are installed in homes to provide heating and hot water and provides guidelines for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of heat pump systems. In 2018 the average dwelling emitted 5.2 tonnes of energy- related CO2. 66% of this was from direct fuel use in the home. The sector must reduce its CO2 eq. emissions significantly to meet 2030 emissions reduction targets. Document S.R. 50-4:2021 has been prepared by the National Standards Authority of Ireland Technical Committee 31: Building services, Sub- committee 6, Heat pumps. €14 million 2021 Schools Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme The Government has launched a €14 million Pathfinder programme, that will demonstrate the approach to deep retrofit in the schools’ sector, testing energy efficiency solutions and renewable heat technology. This retrofit Pathfinder programme will target energy use and CO2 emission reduction by 50%, testing deep retrofit and low carbon heating solutions. The 2021 programme will see six schools benefitting from a selection of energy efficiency works. It is jointly funded with a €14 million budget from the Department of Education and Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and administered by SEAI and the Planning and Building Unit in the Department of Education. This Pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger national schools’ programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 from 2023 onwards, as included in the National Development Plan. It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested.