Home Insulation

Residential Noise Insulation

Building insulation is one of a range of measures that can be applied to mitigate the effects of aircraft noise within homes closest to an airport. The objective is to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on people through the implementation of noise reduction measures within a building. Eligibility for inclusion in a noise insulation scheme is often established by reference to a defined noise contour measured in decibels (dB).

Noise contours are lines on a map that connect points of the same levels of noise exposure and represent the average aircraft related noise experienced (or projected to be experienced) by people living around an airport. They have traditionally been calculated over a 16-hour period (07:00 – 23:00) during the busiest 92-day summer period from 16th June to 15th September.

 The planning permission for the North Runway at Dublin Airport contains a condition requiring the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) to implement a noise insulation scheme for dwellings within a defined noise contour in the vicinity of Dublin Airport:

An Bord Pleanála Ref. PL 06F.217429; FCC Planning Ref. F04A/1755:

7.         Prior to commencement of development, a scheme for the voluntary noise insulation of existing dwellings shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the planning authority. The scheme shall include all dwellings predicted to fall within the contour of 63 dB LAeq 16-hour within 12 months of the planned opening of the runway for use. The scheme shall include for a review every two years of the dwellings eligible for insulation.

This scheme is called the Residential Noise Insulation Scheme (RNIS) and has been further extended by daa to include dwellings within the following combined contours:

  1. the predicted 63 dB LAeq 16-hour contour as defined by Condition 7 of the grant of planning permission for the north parallel runway (ABP ref. PL 06F.217429; FCC ref. F04A/1755) as extended to include:
  2. the predicted 63 dB LAeq 16-hour contour as revised for 2022 forecasts.

The grant of planning permission provides for a review of eligible dwellings every two years to ensure that the forecasted noise is validated against actual noise levels when the runway becomes operational.

The daa has also made a second scheme available for dwellings most impacted by current operations at Dublin Airport called the Home Sound Insulation Programme (HSIP). This scheme is defined by the 2016 63 dB LAeq 16-hour contour.

Both schemes can be examined on the interactive map by clicking here.