nZEBRA Conference Preview: Why Every Construction Professional Should Attend

With nZEB standards looming, the Irish Construction industry is bracing itself for change. Architectural professionals, specifiers, contractors and local authorities are tasked with increasing the energy efficiency of every new building in Ireland. In order to comply with European legislation, we must adapt to nearly zero energy building (nZEB) standards by December 31^st 2018 for publicly owned and occupied buildings, and 31^st December 2020 for all other buildings. In Ireland, this means a further 10% improvement in dwelling energy performance relative to the reference building built in accordance with 2005 Part L requirements. The total improvement for nZEB buildings will be 70% compared to the reference 2005 dwelling.

With the change horizon moving ever closer, the industry is mobilising to make nZEB a reality. To do this, there are challenges to be addressed. Construction professionals are looking to industry experts to educate them on how to effectively adopt nZEB standards, to address their concerns on cost effectiveness, and to provide practical guidance on how to implement change.

nZEBRA’s upcoming nZEB conference is an event which will see professionals from across the country descend on Wexford to learn, collaborate, and hopefully leave with a greater focus on nZEB implementation.

Industry Expertise

You only need to browse the conference brochure to see that this is an event which involves the highest calibre of industry experts. The line-up includes industry professionals, government officials, international speakers, and local authorities who are dealing with the reality of nZEB implementation. In short, there is a broad spectrum of specialists, each of whom have a wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject to share.

nZEB in Practice

For some, the big draw for the conference will certainly be the focus on practical implementation. Nothing beats real life examples when it comes to learning about the practicalities, and it seems we’ll have a feast of options, including:

• A look at Wexford’s first Local Authority Scheme
• A step by step look at the construction of an nZEB home
• Hearing about the real life experience of living in an nZEB home, and
• An insight into how other countries have successfully upskilled their construction professionals.

Upskilling for nZEB

There’s undoubtedly a need for further education on nZEB in Ireland. We have a team on the ground who are delivering CPD seminars on Thermal Bridging across Ireland every day. We’re talking to architects, specifiers, contractors and local authorities about energy efficiency and helping to address the knowledge gap. We know from our experiences that there is much more to be done, and we’re happy to see a real focus on education in this area at the nZEBRA conference.

Detailing, data, upskilling and preparing for nZEB are all covered in the conference programme. Relevant and informative talks, followed by Panel discussions and question and answer sessions should give all attendees greater knowledge on the whole subject.

Money Talks

The cost implications of meeting nZEB standards is undoubtedly a concern for many in the industry, with fears that the result will mean higher construction costs. At Quinn Building Products, we’re familiar with these concerns, and are working with architects and specifiers across the country to show how effective specification can minimise the additional cost, and in some cases even reduce the cost of a build.

Thankfully, nZEBRA’s conference organisers have recognised the need to address this. We’ll hear from Seamus Mullins of Michael Bennett construction, a qualified Building Energy Rating (BER) Assessor and Certified Passive House Consultant with the Passivhaus Institute, on the topic of the cost of delivering nZEB.

For many, the added value will be the opportunity to network, meet suppliers and potential customers. Our team will be in attendance at the conference, and will be available to discuss our products, our technical services, and our free CPD offerings. It’s set to be an informative and valuable event for all in attendance, and we’ll look forward to meeting you there.

nZEBRA Housing Conference 2017 Details

Date: 2nd March 2017

Venue: Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.

To Book: nZEBRA.ie

About Post Author

Jason Martin

Jason Martin is the Specification and Product Development Manager at Quinn Building Products. Much of his daily focus is on product specification and he has extensive experience and technical knowledge of all of the Quinn Building Products range.

Jason also spends a lot of time researching the much talked about (but often little understood phenomenon of) thermal bridging. Working alongside an accredited NSAI thermal modeller, he has developed a unique set of accredited construction details where Quinn Lite and Quinn Therm products have been combined to create simple solutions for significantly reducing the effects of thermal bridging throughout building practice.

Twitter: @QuinnBPltd_Jason
LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/jasonmartinie
Email: technical@quinn-buildingproducts.com