At Ballymahon in Co. Longford, developers Bespoke Construction are on the point of completing the last of the 36 houses in their Section 23 development, Auburn Village, on the banks of the Inny River. Built to a high energy spec, there’s little external sign of the range of sustainable technologies incorporated in the build save for the solar panels on every roof.
Now almost completely sold out, Bespoke’s managing director Ronan Meeley says he’s witnessed a dramatic change in the house buying public’s attitude to energy-aware building. At the beginning of the boom, before the surge in oil prices, no one wanted to know about solar panels or wood pellet boilers. Now they do. Funded under SEI’s House of Tomorrow programme, the most widely known scheme for promoting greener practises within the building trade, grant aid of up to €8,000 per unit is available per house for housing developments of 10 to 50 units where heat energy usage and associated CO2 emissions are reduced by at least 40% relative to building regulations. Having studied renewable energy construction in college in the UK, Meeley has long been interested in putting together a housing development which would improve the standard building spec. “These are Section 23 houses and there’s quite a number of people building around here. I said well, this is my opportunity, especially with the BER (Building Energy Rating) certs coming in. I’ll be ahead of it.”
Two flat-plate solar panels on each roof look ater approximately 60% of annual hot water requirements.
Though a more expensive process than the traditional, minimum-requirement block-build, the market for eco-friendly building is maturing quickly. Asked if he can charge a premium for the higher energy spec, Meeley doesn’t hesitate. “I am and I do and I get it.” In addition to entertaining potential house-buyers, he also plays host to a constant stream of window shoppers. “I spend more time educating people about insulation, solar panels and the wood pellet boilers. The amount of people you get in and they’re just thinking about putting it into their own house.”
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