Building professionals are at the interface with home and property owners. They are well placed to advise them on energy efficiency daily. Yet, lack of skills could lead to a lack of coherent advice, poor quality work and ultimately to a general loss of confidence in energy renovation as cases of building and health problems from inappropriate upgrading works emerge.

As the construction industry picks up in Ireland, the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) has partnered with Ireland’s main construction institutes to explore ways to better incentivise building professionals to upskill in that area. Together, they are trying to develop a comprehensive energy efficiency upskilling framework which would support closer alignment between professionals.

Over 100 key stakeholders and experts have taken part in this consultation process since its launch in July 2017. Skill gaps were identified in both technical areas and soft skills such as communication. The need for multidisciplinary skills and cross-sector approaches was also highlighted. Key recommendations include the development of a simple and stable certification system that would be trusted by both consumers and the industry, hence creating a momentum for upskilling. Furthermore, a flexible accredited pathway to upskilling should be developed to allow building professionals to easily identify the skills they are missing and how they can acquire them.

A final project meeting will take place in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday, 13th March 2018. The objective of this closing event is to reach an agreement on how energy efficiency accreditation of building professionals could become a reality in Ireland.

Organisation and individuals interested in learning more about this process should visit www.igbc.ie or contact [email protected].

Source: Irish Green Building Council