The Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) launched today a new report on Irish construction professionals’ energy efficiency knowledge and upskilling needs.
The IGBC highlighted the urgent need to update the sustainability and energy efficiency skills of the Irish construction sector if Ireland is to achieve its climate targets. All new buildings must be Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) by 2021 and all buildings acquired by public bodies by 2019.
Speaking at the launch of the report, CEO of the Irish Green Building Council Pat Barry said: “Construction professionals have substantial responsibility in promoting a more sustainable built environment. They are at the interface with end-users and are well placed to advise them on energy efficiency daily. However, depending on training and engagement, they can act as advisor or as negative influencers”.
The Irish Green Building Council proposed to upskill professionals in technical areas and to better integrate soft skills such as communication and cross-sector approaches in their training.
Mr Barry added: “The IGBC is delighted to work with Ireland’s main construction institutes to support closer alignment between professionals. Together, we are trying to develop a comprehensive energy efficiency uspkilling framework which may lead to the introduction of a customer-friendly energy efficiency accreditation system. This would ensure Irish citizens are at the centre of our transition to a low carbon society”.
The launch was organised as part of World Green Building Week 2017. World Green Building Week is a global annual event aiming at fostering awareness about the role buildings play in creating a more sustainable future.
“Construction professionals’ energy efficiency knowledge and upskilling – A short review” was published as part of the Environmental Certification for Construction Professionals (ECCoPro) project. The project is partly funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The report can be downloaded here.