Ireland’s Gamma Labs and IHER joins crucial project to retrofit European building stock
Key Takeaways
- One Click RENO aims to support the transition to zero-emission buildings across the EU by 2050.
- Gamma Labs, a leading location intelligence solutions provider, is one of two Irish companies, alongside IHER Energy Services, working on the project to create Building Renovation Passports (BRPs).
- The Irish companies’ expertise will be leveraged to help with the creation and rollout of the European BRPs.
- Ireland is one of five pilot locations – alongside Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece.
Gamma Labs, a leading location intelligence provider, and IHER Energy Services, today announce that they have joined the One Click RENO project, part of a crucial undertaking by the European Union (EU) to transition member states’ building stock to zero-emissions by 2050.
One Click RENO is supporting member states achieve this by establishing a scheme for “renovation passports”, which must be done by 29th May 2026 according to the Energy Performance Building Directive.*
As part of its multi-faceted approach to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the EU set stringent regulations to drastically overhaul the energy efficiency of its buildings – which account for over a third of its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.
EU-Funded One Click RENO Targets Retrofit Innovation in Ireland
Through the LIFE programme, the EU’s funding initiative which has co-financed nearly 5,000 projects supporting environment and climate action, it is now co-funding and collaborating on the three-year One Click RENO project. This initiative will see the creation of Building Renovation Passports (BRPs) to enhance the scope and impact of renovations, making the benefits of deep retrofits more accessible and measurable.
BRPs are retrofit masterplans that include a record of completed works and support the planning, management, and implementation of retrofit projects in a single stage or through a multi-stage programme which may take place over a number of years.
In terms of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan goals, it is targeting upgrades for half a million existing dwellings to reach a B2 energy rating by 2030 – this accounts for approximately 25% of the country’s residential building stock.
Ireland is one of five pilot locations for One Click RENO, alongside Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece. Named as the “front runner” of the project, the Irish pilot will target residential buildings of all typologies and construction periods across the whole country.
Gamma Labs and IHER Leverage BERWOW for Building Renovation Passports
The expertise of Gamma Labs and IHER in developing technologies and utilising data insights to support sustainability will be leveraged to help with the creation and rollout of the BRPs. Specifically, the organisations will be assessing and evaluating existing retrofit tools for suitability and scalability in line with the objectives of the One Click RENO project.
The two companies are well-positioned to assist on this project, thanks to their experience in bringing the BERWOW tool to the Irish market. BERWOW is Ireland’s first retrofit energy efficiency calculator, designed to educate Irish homeowners on how to lower energy usage and costs through retrofitting. These initiatives will also support Ireland′s goals to reduce carbon emissions, aligning with European targets, and contribute to the global fight against climate change.
Speaking about Gamma Labs’ involvement, Peter Finch, Director at BERWOW and CTO at Gamma Labs, said: “When it comes to sustainability and climate change, it’s important that society leaves no stone unturned and takes action to drive impact. The role of data and green technology in shaping these decisions and actions is significant and could make a real difference. Projects like One Click RENO are absolutely vital and Gamma Labs is very proud to be involved in such an undertaking.”
Adding to this, Michael Hanratty, CEO of BERWOW and Managing Director of IHER Energy Services, said: “Every element of how we live, including the buildings in which we live and work, needs to be optimised with the Earth’s wellbeing in mind. Retrofitting has the potential to bring about widespread change and it’s a very exciting prospect to be driving this change, not only in Ireland but further afield.”
Notes on the project
*The EU’s Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD), established in 2010, has introduced the concept of “deep renovation” into EU law. It promotes the upgrading of a building to either a Nearly Zero Emissions Building (NZEB) before 1 January 2030 or into a Zero Emissions Building (ZEB) after that date. The concept of a staged deep renovation has also been introduced with the EPBD, which is defined as a deep renovation carried out in stages. To support staged retrofit renovations, member states must, by 29 May 2026, establish a scheme – voluntary, or mandatory if they wish – for “renovation passports”, which is the project’s aim.
@ 2024 Gammalabs.ie
