On the 20^th November last, 35 third level Architectural and Engineering students from Colaiste Dhulaigh College of Further Education, Coolock, in Dublin made the trip to the midlands, to learn about the future of home building in Ireland.  The students were visiting Ireland's first energy efficient A-Rated house, which was constructed by Doran Brothers Ltd in Roscommon town.  The students were given an informative presentation in the house in question by Ronan Rogers, MD of Energy Matters, on the features of this energy efficient house and the process of achieving this significant milestone.  He explained in detail how Energy Matters developed a practical and feasible specification to achieve the target “A” building energy rating for the proposed house.  Some of the students were fascinated by the rigorous testing which was conducted on the house during its construction, using new airtightness and thermal imaging tests, which were demonstrated on the day.  On completion of the dwelling, Energy Matters provided the first official A-rated building energy rating certification in Ireland and the certificate is valid for the next 10 years.

Highly Commended - Gleesons Townhouse & Restaurant

This building project, specificed and managed by Energy Matters, entailed the extensive renovation of an existing 100 year old two storey terraced commercial building on Market Square, Roscommon Town.
The building was converted into a ground floor Artisan Deli and four hotel rooms on the first floor. Energy Matters main objective was to optimise the environmental impact and energy efficiency of the building, thus resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and the overall running costs of the building.
High levels of insulation have been incorporated throughout the building. Extensive air tightness work and testing was carried out by Energy Matters.  Energy efficient lighting has been installed throughout and highly efficient heating and advanced control systems are installed.
Secondary hot water heating is provided by a 10m² solar hot water system, currently contributing approximately 60% of the annual hot water requirements for the entire building. Ventilation of the first floor is provided by a mechanical ventilation heat recovery unit (MVHR). The excellent air tightness result achieved for the building will ensure that the efficiency of the MVHR unit is maximised.
Innovative energy saving measures are incorporated throughout the entire building, such as plumbing the dishwashers directly to the hot water supply and using motion sensors & timers for lighting making a significant contribution to the overall efficiency of the building.

Energy Matters recently attended the Nordic Conference on Production and Use of  Renewable Energy in Vaasa, Finland. At this conference many of the renewable energies that have been in use in Nordic countries for decades but that are only recently growing in popularity in Ireland were discussed, including Wind energy, Biomass in District Heating Systems, Biofuels and Biogases. As part of the visit, a tour was conducted of an Energy Self-Sufficient development.

This conference offered Energy Matters engineers an opportunity to learn from the valuable experience of our EU neighbours with the aim of applying this knowledge in Ireland. 

Read more about the conference

Energy Matters were invited to speak at series of seminars hosted by Roadstone and Aerobord, two companies within CRH Group plc.  The series of seminars were entitled “Meeting & Surpassing Part L Masonry & Insulation”.  Ronan Rogers, MD of Energy Matters delivered three presentations, which was attended by over 900 construction professionals, during the course of the day.  The seminars focused on explaining the BER process and demystifying the new 2007 Part L building regulations and the related new mandatory testing.  The seminars also outlined practical and feasible methods to achieve the required standards and optimise your building energy rating in the process. The seminar was launched by Michael Finneran T. D., Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal & Developing Areas.

Ronan Rogers, MD of Energy Matters delivers a talk entitled an “Overview of the various Building Systems available to the Irish Market”. The presentation reviewed all possible building systems currently available or utilised in the construction of buildings in Ireland, at present.  Mr Rogers discussed and evaluated these system from a cost, ease of construction, energy efficient and sustainability perspective.  The conference was attended by housing engineers and architects from County and City Councils throughout Ireland

Energy Matters Managing Director, Ronan Rogers is pleased to announce today the successful completion of a mandatory audit by Sustainable Energy Ireland, as outlined in Section 15 of the BER Assessor’s Code of Conduct and in line with S.I. No. 666 of 2006.  The audit was conducted on the Building Energy Rating certificates submitted by Energy Matters to date and is an integral part of SEI’s policy for ensuring the quality of the Building Energy Rating Scheme.

Mr. Rogers also added “We would like to compliment SEI on the detailed and thorough manner in which their auditor conducted the audit, and it demonstrates SEI’s drive to ensure the appropriate standards will be maintained in the BER scheme.  The successful completion of the audit is a significant result for Energy Matters and is a credit to the hard work and diligence of its staff of highly skilled and experienced engineers.  It demonstrates Energy Matters commitment to the highest quality and service standards and consolidates Energy Matters position as one of the leading Building Energy Management consultancies in Ireland.”

A West of Ireland house has become the first in the country to be awarded top marks for energy performance under new EU legislation. The energy efficient property will see a 50% reduction in overall running costs on a yearly basis.

The house in Rosommon was given the 'A' rating under the new Building Energy rating (BER) system, which was introduced at the beginning of this year. The energy label provides potential purchasers, tenants or users of buildings with information on the energy performance of the building, enabling them to make informed property decisions.

Developers Doran Brothers from Roscommon and Magner Developments fro Cork, utilised the services of consultance firm Energy Matters, to deliver the first and second A-rated building energy certificates to the Irish property market.

Read the full article at userfiles/file/connacht tribune.jpg

The first two housing development to receive official A-rated energy-efficient certification in Ireland are in Rosommon and Cork. 

In Roscommon, Doran Bros installed the systems in a development of detached dwellings at Oldwood, Golf Links Road. In Castlemagner, Mallow, Co. Cork, Edmond and Larry O'Donoghue of Magner Developments received Ireland's second official A-rated certification for one of their houses in the Churchfield development, which is targeted towards first-time buyers.

Energy Matter, the building energy management consultancy, were one of the first building energy assessors registered by the government agency, Sustainable Energy Ireland. Energy Matters MD, Ronan Rogers, says that a representative house in the Roscommon development would see saving of more than €1000 in annual running costs for space heating, water heating, ventilationand lighting, or 50% in energy costs.

Read the full article at userfiles/file/Irish Independent 5thOct07.JPG

Saturday, September 29th will see the launch of Phase III of the highly sussessful Churchfield development in Castlemagner, near Mallow. The developer, Magner Development Ltd is the first building in Ireland to construct a Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) certified A-rated concrete home.

Read the full article at userfiles/file/Cork Independent 27Sep07.JPG

Phase two of the Oldwood development in Rosmommon town has been confirmed as the first development in Ireland to receive the BER "A" rated certificate for concrete built homes. The first 11 housesin the development have all been designed by Galway based company Energy Matters to achieve an "A" rated  building energy rating, which can offer annual savings of up to 60 per cent.

Read the full article at userfiles/file/Athlone Advertiser 21st Sept 07.jpg