SEI House of Tomorrow Programme

With energy prices continuing to rise, and increasing public awareness of environmental issues, householders are asking how they can reduce their bills and contribute to sustainability. To address this and other energy issues, last week I launched a major national awareness campaign focusing on energy efficiency and the benefits to consumers, the economy and the environment. The "Power of One" campaign has been created to achieve real and measurable change in consumer awareness and behaviour on energy efficiency.

Aimed at all sectors of the economy, the campaign will build awareness, inform the general public on best practice, and will complement and highlight existing programmes such as the House of Tomorrow programme.

The campaign is particularly relevant to householders and highlights the improvements that can be made within the home. Bills for heating, cooling and lighting are a major component of a building's annual running costs, and yet these factors have not always been taken into account in consumer purchasing decisions. New policy initiatives, together with increasing environmental awareness and the rising costs of energy, are however beginning to bring changes in consumer choices.

Participants SEI's House of Tomorrow Programme are of course critically aware of the benefits of energy efficiency, because they have subscribed to a programme which delivers significant energy savings in the design and operation of the modern household.

I am pleased to see a diverse range of industry represented here today including architects, designers, builders and developers. Energy efficiency in buildings is gaining increasing momentum as an economic and environmental imperative for policy makers and householders alike.

I have no doubt therefore, that those of you who have chosen to participate in this programme and to incorporate innovative sustainable energy features in the design, build and operation of the modern home, will reap rich rewards for their efforts and foresight as we move towards a sustainable energy economy.

A number of EU and national policy initiatives are driving the sustainable energy agenda for buildings. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will impact significantly on building standards and energy performance and I have no doubt that many of the participants in the House of Tomorrow Programme have positioned themselves to be market leaders in this area, when all the elements of the Directive have been introduced.

The Government recently published the definitive Action Plan for the Implementation of the Directive in Ireland, which provides definitive timescales for the introduction of the various measures. With these new provisions, energy ratings are very likely influence choices of buildings, by property buyers, tenants and investors.

Participants here today will also be aware of the hugely successful "Greener Homes" domestic grants scheme, which I launched last March. The scheme, which is costing €27m over five years, provides generous grants to householders towards the purchase and installation costs of renewable heat technologies, such as solar, wood pellet boiler and stoves and heat pumps.
I note that some of these technologies have featured strongly also in the House of Tomorrow Programme.

"Greener Homes" is an important complement to the House of Tomorrow programme, by assisting individual householders to invest in sustainable energy. The public response to the scheme is very encouraging. It demonstrates public enthusiasm to embrace sustainable technologies and practices. It also reflects growing concerns about energy costs.

The success of the House of Tomorrow and Greener Homes programme point to a growing need to progress towards large-scale deployment of sustainable energy measures in buildings.

The House of Tomorrow programme, in particular has grown from modest beginnings to become an exemplar for home building practice. I hope to see these practices widely replicated across the building sector.

Shortly after I became Minister with responsibility for energy, I was convinced that we needed to update and restate our energy policy. Developments since then in the energy sector have underlined the importance of that decision. The Green Paper published yesterday is the latest stage in the drafting of a full energy policy. It sets out the three key principles of energy policy: security of supply, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness.

In the Paper we list options for actions and targets under each of these headings. This will enable participants in the various sectors, including property owners like yourselves – to see where they fit into the overall energy scene.

We are now in the two-month consultation period on the paper.

I would urge those involved in the building sector and every individual who is interested to study the document carefully, reflect on it and submit your views during the consultation phase.

Once again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet with innovators and leaders in building design, technology and construction and to see and hear the type of developments which are currently being supported and which truly can be regarded as the "Houses of Tomorrow". I commend SEI for their significant achievement in developing and enhancing this programme in response to industry demand, and in assisting in delivering a range of novel and progressive solutions in home building.