NI long way from net zero

Two in three homes in NI need energy upgrades to meet the region’s 2030 net zero goal.

50,000 buildings a year or 60 per cent of homes in NI will need improving in order to meet NI’s 2030 net zero targets, according to a new report by the Forum for a Better Housing Market NI carried out by Ulster University.

The Northern Ireland Energy Strategy targets a 56 per cent reduction in energy related carbon emissions by 2030 relative to 1990 levels.

“Northern Ireland is lagging behind other UK regions and the Republic of Ireland in the decarbonisation of its housing stock,” said David Little, Chair of the Forum for a Better Housing Market NI.

“Homes here are recording the lowest energy performance scores compared with our neighbouring countries so we need to act now. One of the main reasons for this is, undoubtedly, the lack of a clear and coordinated policy response.”

The main policy solution outlined in the report was to “incentivise” building owners to create more energy efficient homes, presumably in the form of grants. There are currently few grants available to homeowners in NI.

Lead researcher Professor Martin Haran added: “A series of failed initiatives allied with a non-sitting Stormont Executive has ensured that NI significantly lags behind other UK regions and ROI.”

Log homes could get green light

Cork County councillors are banding together to update the County Development Plan’s Rural Design Guide to allow log homes to be built not just at the outskirts of forested areas, as is currently the case.

Independent TDs also want to see log homes allowed across Ireland. In most rural areas, they are difficult to get planning permission for. Log homes can cost as little as €60-€80k to build, according to the newspaper.