The energy consumption of an A1 BER house is about 5% of a G rated home. Preliminary results from a recent ESRI paper suggest that a one step improvement in the 15 point BER scale is associated with a 1.3% higher price and a one step improvement in the BER scale is also associated with a 0.5% increase in residential higher rent. An A rated house commands a premium of nearly 10% as compared to a D rated house and a property rated F or G trades at a 10% discount.

Benefits to a client for carrying out retrofit energy efficiency works to their property include:

• Asset Value Increases
• Rent increases (possibly)
• Occupancy rates increase (possibly)
• Operating costs drop
• Occupants are more productive/happier/healthier
• Buildings are future proofed
• Strengthens CSR/Brand of client

Ireland's only problem-based learning led programme in Civil Engineering has received accreditation by Engineers Ireland for the next five years. The accreditation was awarded after a visit by a panel which included the Registrar of Engineers Ireland along with national and international experts from academia and industry.

The Bachelor of Engineering Civil Engineering programme at UL is unique as it places the student at the heart of the learning process. Students of the programme apply problem-based learning and active learning techniques to approach real-world problems while working in small teams mentored by experienced chartered engineers.

The employment rate of graduates of the programme at UL have been very positive with 90% of the class of 2013 in employment by graduation day. Dr Declan Phillips, Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering explains: "Our very strong employment figures for this programme reflect a definite upward demand for graduate civil engineers on the home market. In fact, last autumn we were unable to provide two large Irish employers with the names of graduates still seeking employment. There can be little doubt that UL's eight month cooperative education placement in third year is a significant factor in developing capable and flexible UL graduates that are in high demand. "

Dr Phillips added; "The future is bright for graduate civil engineers. Today, in addition to its traditional skills in physical infrastructure development and water treatment, the profession has diversified its expertise to embrace growth areas such as energy conservation and supply. Furthermore, successful indigenous companies have radically internationalised their business model and are now successfully operating on an international stage – a change necessitated by the painful drop in national construction expenditure from a peak of €39 bn in 2006 to approximately €7.5 bn in 2012."

Students now entering the profession stand to benefit from the silver lining associated with these changes. The low numbers enrolling in civil engineering programmes in recent years looks set to result in an acute shortage of graduates within the next three years when the number of graduates nationally looks set to fall below one hundred.