Faster decarbonisation of buildings will increase resilience to energy price shocks 

Dublin, 27 May 2026:  Progress has been made on policies to decarbonise our built environment in recent years but the government must now accelerate delivery to make our homes, schools and businesses resilient to energy price shocks – that’s the message of the Irish Green Building Council’s 2026 Policy Scorecard, which will be launched in front of 250 delegates at the organisation’s flagship Build Green Now conference at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, today Wednesday 27 May.

The conference – which will be addressed by Minister for Housing James Browne T.D. – will hear that by retrofitting our homes, we can improve citizens’ lives, reduce energy bills and help to lift people out of energy poverty.

Pat Barry, Irish Green Building Council CEO, commented:“Ireland has led in energy renovation for the past decade but as our Policy Scorecard shows, we must now accelerate our ambition. Decarbonising our buildings must be seen as a key national infrastructure project to make us more resilient to energy price shocks, and deliver healthier, more comfortable homes that are more affordable to heat. Countries like Spain and Denmark have been more resilient to the recent energy crisis due to their massive investment in renewables – Ireland can do the same.”

An expert panel – featuring John Dobbin, Chair of the RIAI Housing Committee, Deirdre Timmons, Sustainable Finance Lead at PwC, and Adrian Joyce, Director of the Renovate Europe Campaign – will discuss how sustainability, affordability and quality must go hand in hand, and how reusing existing buildings in our urban centres can deliver new homes quickly, with less infrastructure costs to the state and significant co-benefits.

John Dobbin, Architect and Chair of the RIAI Housing Committee, commented:

“Bringing our vacant and derelict buildings back into use represents a unique opportunity to revitalise our cities, towns and villages and reduce our carbon emissions at the same time. It can also allow the state to deliver new homes faster and at less cost, as the infrastructure for these homes is already in place.

A panel on innovation featuring Scotland’s Innovation Centre BE-ST, Coillte and Kingspan will examine how Ireland can accelerate the development of innovative low carbon construction products. And Signe Kongebro, Global Director at Henning Larsen Architects, will present the new Fǽlledby district in Copenhagen, the Danish capital’s first all-timber innovation test-bed and new neighbourhood for 7,000 people, designed as a unique climate-resilient urban village, bringing nature within meters of every home.

Minister for Housing James Browne T.D. commented: “I am particularly pleased to see a focus on timber at this year’s conference. Timber is not only one of the most effective renewable building materials, but it can also dramatically speed up delivery times and cut costs while still delivering high-quality homes with the very best energy ratings. This Government has fully embraced the rapid uptake of Modern Methods Construction and my Department are working with the Timber in Construction Steering Group to provide recommendations for national technical standards in relation to the design and use of Mass Engineered Timber, which are close to publication.

“We have an opportunity to be leaders in this area and events like this are so important because they bring together a wealth of knowledge and expertise from across the construction sector and give us an opportunity to explore the challenges we face collectively in relation to the sustainability of our building stock.”

Meanwhile, a panel of leading Irish Executives — featuring Steven McGee, Chief Operating Officer of John Sisk & Son, Averil Power, CEO of Clúid Housing, and Kieran Holohan, Managing Director of Saint Gobain Ireland – will discuss how sustainability can add value and improve competitiveness for Irish businesses.

Steven McGee, Chief Operating Officer at John Sisk & Son, commented: At John Sisk & Son, we take a whole-life view of carbon, both embodied and operational, working with stakeholders to drive down emissions across our buildings. Lower carbon means lower cost, and by investing in sustainability now, we deliver efficient, future-ready assets that create lasting value.