The relevant guidelines in use in the Republic of Ireland issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are referenced below.

TDG-E (2014), effective from the 1st of July 2015 in the Republic of Ireland.

The new regulations (Technical Guidance Document E, 2014) also apply to extensions to dwellings which adjoin other buildings.

Click on the Technical Guidance Document E below to view

Regulation E1 aims to ensure that dwellings achieve reasonable levels of sound insulation from sound transmission emanating from attached buildings or differently occupied parts of the same building.

Regulation E2 aims to protect dwelling occupants from the noise produced from reverberation in common internal areas that directly access a dwelling or dwellings.

These Regulations also amend Article 13 of the Building Regulations 1997 to require Part E to apply to an existing building or part of a building that undergoes a material change of use to a dwelling. The amendments to Part E of the Building Regulations and the associated technical guidance meet the overall objective of securing reasonable standards of health and safety for persons in or about buildings in respect of the passage of sound. The operative date of the Regulations is 1 July 2015.

Under STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS. S.I. No. 606 of 2014 BUILDING REGULATIONS (PART E AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2014, the revised version of TGD-E 1997 has been replaced by TGD-E 2014.

“Act of 1990” means the Building Control Act 1990 (No. 3 of 1990) as amended by the Building Control Act 2007 (No. 21 of 2007);

“Ancillary Certificates” means a certificate other than a statutory certificate of compliance as prescribed in the Building Control Regulations given by a competent person to confirm compliance of elements of the building, design or works with Building Regulations;

“Ancillary Certifier” means a person proposed to issue such a statement. (Note: a “person” also includes a company); “Assigned Certifier” means the competent, registered professional person so assigned, following the Building Control Regulations;

To download a copy of the Code of Practice for Inspecting and Certifying Buildings and Works, click here. These are an integral part of the Building Control Regulations 2014.

On-site testing is carried out using:

• EN ISO 16283-1:2014 Field measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements — Part 1: airborne sound insulation.

• EN ISO 16283-2:2018 Field Measurement of Impact Sound Insulation of Floors — Part 2: Impact sound insulation.

Sound Insulation Testing representatives are members of the AACI -Sound Insulation Testing Scheme. This included the completion of an Advanced Sound Insulation Training at the SRL in the UK.

The Association of Acoustic Consultants of Ireland has released a position statement on sound insulation testing in the Republic of Ireland, which can be downloaded below.