Getting Ireland Electric Vehicles Ready – Minister Murphy launches a public consultation on draft building regulation requirements for electric vehicle recharging infrastructure

• proposal for all new dwelling houses with a car parking space within the property boundary to be future proofed for electric vehicle recharging points
• proposed requirements for new and existing buildings undergoing major renovation to install ducting infrastructure for electric vehicle recharging points
• proposed requirements for certain existing non-residential buildings to have at least one recharging point installed by 2025

The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, T.D., today (5th December) launched a public consultation on proposed requirements for infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles in new buildings, and those undergoing major renovation, from 10 March 2020, and for certain existing non-residential buildings by 01 January 2025.

The proposed regulations include the requirement to install infrastructure to facilitate a future electric vehicle recharging point in all new houses with a car parking space inside the property boundary. All apartment blocks with parking spaces inside their property boundary will also require the installation of electric cable ducts (which will allow the future installation of electric vehicle recharging cables). These regulations will ensure that all new homes with a car parking space inside their property boundary will be future proofed to install electric vehicles.

The proposed regulations will help facilitate recharging points for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are critical to Ireland’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport. The public consultation will last two months. The draft regulations fulfil obligations under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive but also exceed obligations by requiring electric infrastructure for new dwelling houses and ducting infrastructure for all new apartments.

The proposed requirements for electric vehicle infrastructure are summarised in table 1 below:

Table 1: Summary of draft electric infrastructure requirements for electric vehicle recharging within property boundary

In implementing the above requirements, provisions are included for disability access in accordance with Part M of the building regulations for new buildings.

Commenting on the proposed regulations, Minister Murphy said: “Today we are publishing proposed regulations that will help ensure Ireland has cleaner, more sustainable transport in a low-carbon future. With costs steadily falling, the national transition to electric vehicles continues to become more feasible. Demand for electric vehicles will increase and people will inevitably expect new housing and non-residential car parks to have recharging points. These regulations will help meet those expectations. Going electric on our roads will also help reduce local air pollution, which is to everyone’s benefit.”

“These proposals are aimed at meeting the Government’s ambition of having over 950,000 electric vehicles on the road in Ireland by 2030. That is why I am proposing today that all new residential dwellings with their own car parking space within the property boundary will have to facilitate the future installation of recharging points for electric vehicles.”

These regulations, when implemented, will implement two measures related to Action 74 of the Government’s Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown to “Ensure our regulatory regime for buildings requires the installation of EV recharging infrastructure.”

Minister Murphy concluded: “I would urge all with an interest in this issue to read the proposals and give my department their views before February 5th. I hope to bring regulations into effect early next year so we can implement another important part of our plan for a more sustainable, low-carbon future.”

Link to the Public Consultation